Messi, James, Müller and Neymar among FIFA Golden Ball nominees
The nominees for FIFA's prestigious Golden Ball award were announced Friday and features 10 candidates, including seven players that will likely participate in Sunday's World Cup final between Germany and Argentina.
The Golden Ball award is presented to the most outstanding player at the tournament and takes all position players into consideration.
The distinction was first awarded in 1978 during the World Cup in Argentina, with striker Mario Kempes being recognized as the tournament's best player after leading the tournament in scoring with six goals and helping Argentina win its first World Cup.
Since its introduction, players such as Diego Maradona (1986), Romário (1994), Ronaldo (1998), Oliver Kahn (2002) and Zinedine Zidane (2006) have won the the award.
Candidates:
Lionel Messi - Argentina
Ángel di María - Argentina
Javier Mascherano - Argentina
Mats Hummels - Germany
Thomas Müller - Germany
Toni Kroos - Germany
Philipp Lahm - Germany
Neymar - Brazil
James Rodriguez - Colombia
Arjen Robben - Netherlands