World Cup Award Predictions: Golden Ball, Boot, Boy & Glove

The World Cup in North America is just days away from kicking off, with Mexico's clash with South Africa in Mexico City getting the month-long celebration of the sport underway.

While plenty of the focus is understandably placed on predicting which teams will go far in the World Cup, there is also the matter of individual accolades to consider.

World Cup Award Predictions

Golden Ball prediction - Lionel Messi (+1000)

The World Cup Golden Ball, awarded to the best player of the tournament, has only been given to a player from the World Cup winners four times in the 11 tournaments since its inception.

Lionel Messi became the first player in history to win the award twice as he led Argentina to victory in Qatar and he is +1000 to make it three this summer.

With this almost certainly the 38-year-old's final World Cup, he is likely to enjoy considerable support from the stands as he plies his trade for Inter Miami, so it would not be a surprise to see Messi topping the standings again.

La Albiceleste have made the World Cup final in two of the last three editions of the tournament and were excellent in qualifying.

Messi was the top goalscorer in that South American World Cup qualifying campaign and, as captain of a team expected to enjoy a deep run in the competition, he looks a standout pick for the Golden Ball.

Golden Boot prediction - Kylian Mbappe (+650)

Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final may not have been enough to land France the ultimate prize, but it was enough to put him above Messi in the scoring charts and hand the Real Madrid ace his first World Cup Golden Boot award.

The 27-year-old is just one goal off equalling Olivier Giroud's record of 57 goals for Les Bleus and it would be a huge surprise if he didn't manage that in the group fixtures.

Given his record and the strength of France's squad, becoming the first player to ever win successive World Cup Golden Boot awards is well within his capabilities.

Ever a player for the big occasion, Mbappe has scored 12 goals in seven World Cup appearances and, despite Real's disappointing collective season, he netted a massive 42 goals for Los Blancos this season.

Didier Deschamps' side are outright favourites to win the World Cup and should go far, even if they don’t manage to claim the big prize. This gives Mbappe plenty of opportunity to add to his impressive tally.

Golden Boy prediction - Lamine Yamal (+150)

The last teenager to win the World Cup Golden Boy award was Michael Owen in 1998, but that could change this year with the presence of Spain starlet Lamine Yamal.

Spain are second favorite to win the World Cup following their inspired Euro 2024 victory, where Yamal landed the Young Player of the Tournament award.

Still just 18 years old, Yamal came second in the 2025 Ballon d'Or and has been instrumental to the recent success of both La Roja and Barcelona.

He registered 24 goals and 17 assists in all competitions for Barcelona this season and has the talent and end product to individually transform any game.

Expect him to make a huge difference in what would be a third World Cup success for Spain.

Golden Glove prediction - Unai Simon (+450)

Emiliano Martinez’s heroics for Argentina in the World Cup final earned him the Golden Glove in the 2022 World Cup and that was the fourth time in five World Cups that the award has gone to the goalkeeper of the winning team.

With Spain one of the favourites to win the World Cup, number one keeper Unai Simon is likely to be in the mix as the FIFA Technical Study Group decide the Golden Glove winner.

A group containing Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay should give Simon plenty of opportunities to rack up the clean sheets in the early stages of the competition, putting him in good standing for the award.

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World Cup Golden Ball odds

Harry Kane (England)	+700
Lamine Yamal (Spain)	+800
Kylian Mbappe (France)	+1000
Lionel Messi (Argentina)	+1000
Michael Olise (France)	+1000
Vinicius Jr. (Brazil)	+1400

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.