Lionel Messi and Neymar on list for World Cup Golden Ball award

[hamstrung_pigeon]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jul/11/lionel-messi-neymar-golden-ball-list-world-cup-2014

Lionel Messi and Neymar on list for World Cup Golden Ball award
• Fifa announces 10 candidates for best player at tournament
• Seven on the list play either for Argentina or Germany

Associated Press
theguardian.com, Friday 11 July 2014 21.13 BST

Fifa has included Lionel Messi and Neymar on a 10-player list of candidates to be named the World Cup’s best player.

Seven of the 10 nominees for the Golden Ball come from the finalists, Argentina and Germany. The winner will announced after Sunday’s final.

Messi is nominated along with team-mates Ángel di María and Javier Mascherano. Germany provide four candidates: Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm and Thomas Müller.

Neymar is the only candidate from Brazil on the list selected by Fifa’s technical study group of coaching analysts.

Arjen Robben of Holland and James Rodríguez of Colombia, the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, complete the list.

 

[Frogfish]

Fucking joke. Neymar has been shit and he's only in there to pacify the Brazilians. Bet you he comes 3rd (if the voting is done by FIFA behind closed doors).

No Cuadrado ? Cunts. Messi really hasn't done as much as expected but deserves to be on the list.

For me :
1. Müller
2. Rodríguez
3. Mascherano
4. Robben
5. Cuadrado

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Also, no goalkeepers, despite some heroics from them.

 

[moron]

Fucking joke. Neymar has been shit and he's only in there to pacify the Brazilians. Bet you he comes 3rd (if the voting is done by FIFA behind closed doors).

No Cuadrado ? Cunts. Messi really hasn't done as much as expected but deserves to be on the list.

For me :
1. Müller
2. Rodríguez
3. Mascherano
4. Robben
5. Cuadrado

When I saw Neymar in that list the first thing I thought was - Fucking Joke. However, you got there before me. I agree with your list and the order of it. Have to also add that Messi being on that list is a joke to.

 

[Frogfish]

Pinched these from @Spaghetti Legs 🙂

Argentina's Angel di Maria and Marcos Rojo lead the way in terms of crosses attempted from open play, with Rojo's haul of 25 so far bettered only by team-mate di Maria (32).

Thomas Müller has played a hand in 16 World Cup goals in 12 appearances at the finals (10 goals and six assists).
Müller (2010 and 2014) and Klose (2002 and 2006) are the only players in history to score 5+ goals at consecutive World Cup tournaments.
Müller is the first-ever Golden Boot winner to reproduce his number of goals at the following World Cup (five goals in 2010, five in 2014).
Müller could also become the first player ever to win the Golden Boot at successive World Cups.

Lionel Messi has been the most creative player at World Cup 2014, setting up a tournament-high 21 goal-scoring chances for team-mates.
Messi has embarked on a tournament-high 65 dribbles so far, completing (another-high) 39 of them.

No German player has created more chances for their teammates in the 2014 World Cup than Mesut Özil (15).

Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has attempted a competition-high 509 passes so far.
Mascherano has also made the most tackles so far - 28.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

I think Neuer should be in the list

 

[keniget]

Neither Neymar nor Messi have played well over the course 90 minutes, however they scored the goals to get their teams to the semi-finals. That's still quite a contribution.

 

[peterhague]

Got to be James. He's the standout player of the tournament.