Rodri takes Golden Ball as Spain dominate World Cup awards, Mbappe lands Golden Boot
Spain did not just win the World Cup. They took almost everything else too.
Rodri won the Golden Ball after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final, while Pau Cubarsi was named best young player and Unai Simon picked up the Golden Glove. The only major individual prize that went elsewhere was the Golden Boot, which went to Kylian Mbappe.
Rodri's award was not a surprise. He was one of Spain's best players all tournament and again looked in control in the final. He kept things moving, helped Spain dictate the game and barely wasted the ball. Against Argentina, he completed 95% of his passes and had the 3rd-highest touch count in the match.
That was more or less his tournament in a nutshell. Cubarsi also had a very strong case for his award. The young Barcelona defender was excellent throughout the competition and looked well beyond his age in the biggest matches. Spain only conceded 1 goal in the whole tournament, and Cubarsi was a big reason for that.
In the final, he helped keep both Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez quiet.He also finished with 6 clearances, more than any other player on the pitch.
Simon completed the Spain clean sweep by taking the Golden Glove. He kept 7 clean sheets and only let in 1 goal across the tournament, which is a ridiculous return at a World Cup.
The only prize Spain missed out on was the one for top scorer.Mbappe got that after scoring 10 times in 8 matches for France. He ended 2 goals clear of Messi and was the one non-Spain player to stop the awards list from turning into a full La Roja procession.
That probably says everything about how this tournament went. Spain won the trophy, had the best player, the best young player and the best goalkeeper. There was not much left for anyone else.
