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The 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup will come to an end on December 18. Defending champions France will take on South American giants Argentina in the final at the Lusail Stadium.
Aside from the trophy, football's governing body FIFA will also give out other awards on the day. These awards will be presented to players and teams who have distinguished themselves in various aspects of the game.
We predict the favorites for the FIFA World Cup awards.
#1 Golden Ball - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
The 'Golden Ball' is an award given to the overall best player at each FIFA World Cup. The shortlist for this award is drawn by the FIFA Technical Study Group, and the winner is voted for by representatives of the media.
The two top favorites for the Qatar 2022 'Golden Ball' at the moment are Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappe. Both players will also go head-to-head in the final showdown.
However, it is Messi who leads the race for the award heading into the final. The forward has been outstanding for his nation throughout the tournament. He has registered at least one goal contribution in five of Argentina's six games in the tournament so far.
The 2014 'Golden Ball' winner has made eight goal contributions (five goals, three assists) so far, one better than Mbappe, who has five goals and two assists.
If Messi leads Argentina to glory, he will automatically become the top favorite for the 'Golden Ball'.
#2 Golden Boot - Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Messi is the favorite to take home the 'Golden Boot' award for the most goals scored in the tournament. Like the 'Golden Ball', the Argentine captain will battle for this accolade with fellow Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate Mbappe.
Both players are currently tied on goals scored at the Qatar 2022 Mundial (five). However, Messi might edge Mbappe to the award if they both end the tournament with the same number of goals. The number of assists provided in the tournament will then be used as a tie-breaker.
The Argentine currently has three assists while the French number No.10 has provided just two assists so far.
#3 Golden Glove - Yassine Bounou (Morocco)
The 'Golden Glove' is the award presented to the best-performing goalkeeper at the World Cup. The 2022 edition has seen a good chunk of top performances from shot-stoppers like Dominik Livakovic (Croatia), Wojciech Szczesny (Poland), Yassine Bounou (Morocco) and Emiliano Martinez (Argentina).
However, Morocco's Bounou has had a slightly stellar performance than the aforementioned goalkeepers. The Sevilla shot-stopper led his side to the semi-finals of the World Cup with his heroics against Spain and Portugal in the round of 16 and quarter-finals, respectively.
Bounou still has the best record among the four first-choice goalkeepers still in the competition. He has kept three clean sheets in five games, conceding only three goals so far.
#4 FIFA Young Player Award - Bukayo Saka (England)
Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka is one of the top favorites for the ' FIFA Young Player' award, which is given to the best player under 21 years of age.
Although he exited the competition in the quarter-finals, Saka was the stand-out player for the Three Lions of England. The Englishman began the tournament with a brace against Iran on his World Cup debut. He also found the net in England's round of 16 victory over Senegal.
The Arsenal forward finished the competition with the joint-most goals scored by any player aged 21 and below (three).
#5 FIFA Fair Play Trophy - England
The 'FIFA Fair Play Trophy' is presented to the team with the best record in fair play at the Mundial. To qualify for this award, the team must at least qualify for the second round of the competition.
The English national team should be the deserved winners of this award as they have received only one yellow card throughout their campaign.
Gareth Southgate's side did not pick up a single card in the group stage. They also defeated Senegal in the round of 16 without any of their players going into the referee's book. It was not until the 90th minute of their quarter-final clash with France that Harry Maguire picked up the side's only booking of the competition.
