The 2026 World Cup final is finally here: Argentina v Spain. Spain v Argentina. An incredible clash between the reigning South American champions and the reigning European champions.

This match will have a historic twist: the pitch will witness a head-to-head clash between two players who already know what it’s like to win the Ballon d'Or.

For the Albiceleste, the evergreen Lionel Messi will lead his side into their second consecutive final. With eight ‘Ballon d'Or’ trophies to his name, the star will be looking to cap off his perfect career by securing a fourth star for Argentina.

For ‘La Roja’, the reins will be in the hands of Rodri Hernández, the brand-new winner of the 2024 Ballon d'Or. The Madrid-born midfielder is at the peak of his footballing career and will be aiming to secure Spain’s second World Cup.

So, in light of this golden occasion, we’ll take a look at which Ballon d'Or winners have played (even if only for a minute) in a World Cup final.

Ballon d'Or winners who played in a World Cup final

Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1962

  • World Cup Final: Chile 1962 (scored the first goal of the final in the 3–1 defeat to Brazil).

Bobby Charlton (England)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1966

  • World Cup Final: England 1966 (champions after a 4–2 victory over West Germany)

Gianni Rivera (Italy)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1969

  • World Cup Final: Mexico 1970 (came on as a substitute in the closing minutes of the 4–1 defeat to Brazil).

Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1972 and 1976

  • World Cup finals: England 1966 (runners-up) and Germany 1974 (champions).

Gerd Müller (West Germany)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1970

  • World Cup Final: Germany 1974 (champions, scoring the decisive goal to make it 2–1 against the Netherlands).

Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1971, 1973 and 1974

  • World Cup Final: Germany 1974 (runners-up after losing to the hosts)

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1980 and 1981

  • World Cup finals: Spain 1982 and Mexico 1986 (runners-up on both occasions)

Paolo Rossi (Italy)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1982

  • World Cup Final: Spain 1982 (champions, scoring the first goal in the 3–1 victory over Germany)

Lothar Matthäus (Germany)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1990

  • World Cup finals: Mexico 1986 (runner-up) and Italy 1990 (champion and captain). He was part of the squad for Spain 1982, but did not play in the final.

Roberto Baggio (Italy)

  • Ballon d'Ore: 1993

  • World Cup Final: USA 1994 (runner-up after a penalty shoot-out against Brazil)

Ronaldo Nazário (Brazil)

  • Ballon d'Ors: 1997 and 2002

  • World Cup finals: France 1998 (runner-up) and Korea-Japan 2002 (champion, scoring a brace in the final). He was part of the squad for USA 1994, but did not play in the final.

Zinedine Zidane (France)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1998

  • World Cup Finals: France 1998 (champion, scoring two headers) and Germany 2006 (runner-up)

Rivaldo (Brazil)

  • Ballon d'Or: 1999

  • World Cup finals: France 1998 (runners-up) and Korea-Japan 2002 (champions)

Ronaldinho (Brazil)

  • Ballon d'Or: 2005

  • World Cup Final: Korea-Japan 2002 (champions and in the starting line-up for the final)

Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)

  • Ballon d'Or: 2006

  • World Cup Final: Germany 2006 (champion and captain of the Nazionale)

Lionel Messi (Argentina)

  • Ballon d'Or: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023

  • World Cup finals: Brazil 2014 (runner-up), Qatar 2022 (champion, scoring two goals in the final) and North America 2026 (to be played).

Luka Modrić (Croatia)

  • Ballon d'Or: 2018

  • World Cup Final: Russia 2018 (runner-up after losing to France)

Ousmane Dembélé (France)

  • Ballon d'Ors: 2025

  • World Cup Final: Qatar 2022 (runner-up after starting the final). He was also part of the winning squad at Russia 2018, but did not feature in the final.

Rodri (Spain)

  • Ballon d'Or: 2024

  • World Cup Final: North America 2026 (to be played)

Honourable mention for Kaká, who was part of the Brazil squad during the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan, but did not feature in the final.

For this reason, the Brazilian was not included on this list.

Will any other players be added to the 2030 edition?