10 Players Who Could Win The World Cup 2018 Golden Ball Award

2. Lionel Messi - Argentina

Arguably the greatest player the world has ever seen, there are some who argue that Lionel Messi still needs to lift a World Cup trophy with his national side to truly earn that title. He did his level best in 2014, helping Argentina get to the final, scoring four goals along the way, and actually winning the Golden Ball award for that year's tournament.

It was feared that Messi might never appear at another World Cup as he temporarily retired from international football, but the Barcelona superstar decided to go back to the national team and has been in fabulous form, scoring plenty of goals in recent years, including 6 strikes during World Cup qualification and a great hat-trick in a recent friendly.

Some people still doubt Messi's abilities when he plays for Argentina, but he's scored 64 goals in 124 appearances and is the nation's leading all-time goalscorer. His teammates might not be able to match his abilities, but if they can put in enough effort to keep up with him, Messi could guide Argentina to another final and perhaps back-to-back Golden Ball awards.