Just after the final whistle was blown at the Maracana Stadium to bring the 2014 World Cup to a close on Sunday, FIFA began to dish out the awards.
Lionel Messi grabbed the Golden Ball award for the best player in the tournament (many would suggest that he didn’t deserve it...) and soccer’s world governing body also gave out the awards for the top scorer, goalkeeper, young player and a fair play gong.
Colombian star James Rodriguez won the Golden Boot after scoring six goals and two assists in five games, Germany’s victorious ‘keeper Manuel Neuer won the Golden Glove award as the best goalkeeper following four clean sheets, plus Frenchman Paul Pogba picked up the Young Player of the tournament award for some superb displays.
There was also special praise for Colombia who were handed the FIFA Fair Player award.
FIFA published the following statement on their website on Sunday. Congrats to all the winners.Golden Boot: James Rodriguez (Colombia) - 6 goals, 2 assists
Colombia’s No10 made an instant impact at Brazil 2014, setting up Los Cafeteros’s opening two goals and scoring in the last minute in their 3-0 win over Greece, earning the Budweiser Man of the Match Award in the process. He picked up the same accolade in the next match, a 2-1 win over Côte d’Ivoire, having provided an assist for Juan Fernando Quintero and found the target once more. The Monaco man was at it again in the final group game against Japan, entering the fray as a second-half substitute, yet making time to create two goals for Jackson Martinez and score himself. Rodriguez then made history when he scored twice in the 2-0 win over Uruguay, ensuring Colombia qualified for the quarter-finals of a FIFA World Cup for the first time. There he tasted defeat for the first time against Brazil, but converted a consolatory penalty and earned a standing ovation from the crowd in Fortaleza for his efforts.
Silver Boot: Thomas Muller (5 goals, 3 assists)
Bronze Boot: Neymar (4 goals, 1 assist)
Golden Glove: Manuel Neuer (Germany)
After winning the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup with Bayern Munich, the 28-year-old now has the adidas Golden Glove to add to his growing collection. The Germany No1 was in fine form for the Nationalmannschaft during Brazil 2014, conceding just four goals in seven games and impressing FIFA’s Technical Study Group with his shot-stopping ability, his commanding presence and his ability to start attacks from his own penalty area. Indeed, he has been dubbed a ‘sweeper-keeper’ by sections of the media for his performances at this World Cup, featuring plenty of evidence of his desire to come off his line and play accurate passes when under pressure.
Young Player Award: Paul Pogba (France)
The France midfielder was considered to be the pick of the players born after 1 January 1993 at this World Cup. The Juventus midfielder played in all five of Les Bleus’ games, having an impact in the 5-2 win over Switzerland by creating a goal for Karim Benzema and then scoring in the 2-0 win over Nigeria, in which he was named as the Budweiser Man of the Match. In winning this award, he becomes only the second player to be named as the Golden Ball winner at the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the senior equivalent in successive tournaments, following in the footsteps of Robert Prosinecki.
FIFA Fair Play Award: Colombia
The Group C winners who reached the quarter-finals were given this award, not only for collecting just five yellow cards in their five matches at Brazil 2014, but for scoring highly in the criteria set by FIFA’s Technical Study Group, which includes positive play, respect towards the opponent and match officials, as well as the behavior of their team officials and supporters.Follow @JPW_NBCSports
