Despite settling for the silver ball in the official awards adopted by FIFA, after Spain's victory over Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final, Lionel Messi found individual recognition from another entity.

The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) chose Messi as the best player of the tournament, in recognition of his performance and significant impact on Argentina's journey to the final match.

The selection of the Argentine captain was based on his performance index, which relies on match ratings, number of goals, assists, and the player's overall influence in tournament matches, especially during the knockout stages.

Messi, aged 39, played eight matches in the World Cup, scoring 8 goals and providing 4 assists, reaching 12 goal contributions.

This honor comes days after FIFA awarded the official Golden Ball for best player of the World Cup to Spain's captain Rodri, while Messi settled for the Silver Ball, and the Bronze Ball went to French star Kylian Mbappé.

The difference in winners reflects different evaluation criteria between the two bodies; FIFA awards are based on official voting, while the IFFHS ranking relies on a special statistical index that measures individual performance and technical impact throughout the tournament.

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