In 1978, FIFA established the World Cup Best Player award and began presenting it regularly from that year’s tournament onwards.

Many football legends have been named ‘MVP’ of various World Cups throughout history.

In the wake of this recognition, an interesting debate arose: do you need to be named ‘MVP’ of a World Cup to go on to win the ‘Ballon d'Or’ in the same year?

The answer is ‘no’. The statistics confirm that it is not necessary to be named ‘Best Player’ of a World Cup to win the ‘Ballon d'Or’.

In fact, of all the players who have been crowned ‘MVP’ of a World Cup, only three have managed to win both awards in the same season.

Footballers who were named ‘MVP’ at a World Cup

  • 1978: Mario Kempes (Argentina)

  • 1982: Paolo Rossi (Italy)

  • 1986: Diego Maradona (Argentina)

  • 1990: Salvatore Schillaci (Italy)

  • 1994: Romario (Brazil)

  • 1998: Ronaldo (Brazil)

  • 2002: Oliver Kahn (Germany)

  • 2006: Zinedine Zidane (France)

  • 2010: Diego Forlán (Uruguay)

  • 2014: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

  • 2018: Luka Modrić (Croatia)

  • 2022: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

The only players to have won both awards

Of the 12 World Cups played since 1978, only three players have won both the World Cup ‘MVP’ and the ‘Ballon d'Or’ in the same tournament:

  • Paolo Rossi (1982): He won the World Cup with Italy in Spain 1982, was the tournament’s top scorer and claimed both awards.

  • Luka Modrić (2018): He led Croatia to a historic final at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and capped off his outstanding year by winning the ‘Ballon d'Or’.

  • Lionel Messi (2023): He won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as the star of the tournament and, months later, won the Ballon d'Or in 2023.

To be more specific, only 1 in every 4 footballers who were named ‘MVP’ of a World Cup went on to win the ‘Ballon d'Or’ that same year. That’s 25 per cent.

Why is this figure so low?

Until 1995, the Ballon d'Or was awarded exclusively to European players. As a result, several footballers of other nationalities were unable to compete for the double.

For its part, the Ballon d'Or jury assesses the entire season. It does not just take into account the seven or eight matches that make up a World Cup.

In conclusion, winning the World Cup ‘MVP’ award does not, in itself, guarantee success in the Ballon d'Or.

Being the best player at a World Cup is important, but it guarantees nothing…

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