With the semi-finals upon us, the race for the FIFA Golden Ball - the Player of the Tournament award - is truly heating up. Three names dominate the conversation: Jude Bellingham of England, Kylian Mbappe of France, and Lionel Messi of Argentina. Each has made this tournament their own in different ways. Only one can lift the individual prize alongside whichever nation wins on July 19.
Jude Bellingham - England's Heartbeat
Four goals, five assists, and a performance level that has barely dropped across six matches. Bellingham has been the complete midfielder at this tournament - box-to-box energy, set-piece danger, late goals, key passes. At 20 years old he is producing a World Cup campaign that recalls Ronaldo's 2002 or Zidane's 1998. If England reach the final, he will be the frontrunner.
Kylian Mbappe - Goals and Redemption
Mbappe arrived at this World Cup amid doubts about his Real Madrid form and a difficult year personally. He has answered every question. Eight goals - level with Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot lead - and three assists. His pace and directness have torn defenses apart. Against Spain in the semi-final he will face his toughest test yet: a back line that has conceded just three goals in six games.
Lionel Messi - The Farewell Tour
Two goals and five assists. Those numbers only hint at what Messi has produced. He operates as a conductor rather than a scorer now, orchestrating Argentina's play with passes that defy logic and movement that defies age. At 38, he may not win the Golden Boot. But if Argentina win the tournament, the Golden Ball almost certainly goes to Messi - as the embodiment of everything that makes this World Cup special.
Source: FIFA.com, ESPN, Goal.com. Image: Wikimedia Commons Public Domain.
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