Golden Ball Odds: Mbappe & Messi Favorites, Modric Could Win

The 2022 World Cup is down to four teams: France, Argentina, Morocco, and Croatia. When the tournament is over, FIFA will award the Golden Ball, the top individual award of the event. The Golden Ball is presented to the best player, with FIFA creating a finalist list and media members voting a top three.

No Golden Ball winner has been on the winning team at the World Cup since Brazilian Romario won the award in 1994. Five of the last six winners have been on the runner-up team, while Diego Forlan took the award on fourth-place Uruguay in 2010.

Let’s take a look at the updated FIFA World Cup Props odds for players to leave Qatar with the Golden Ball award.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Odds for Golden Ball Betting Contenders

Kylian Mbappe +110

Mbappe is the individual favorite at +110 and his team, France, are the team favorite as well at +120. Mbappe leads the tournament with five goals so far, and he has added two assists in the first five games. The French attacker has scored two goals in two separate games and is a threat to take over any game at any moment.

If France wins it all, like they did in 2018, it will be tough for anyone else to win the Golden Ball. Mbappe’s teammates Antoine Griezmann (+2000) and Olivier Giroud (+3300) have top-six odds right now. But they would need multiple goals to overtake Mbappe and have the PSG man not score the rest of the way as well.

Mbappe won the Best Young Player award at the 2018 World Cup, and he’s in a strong position to add another individual award. He could be the first player to win the Golden Boot and Golden Ball in the same year since 1990 and the first to add both awards to a team win since Italy’s Paolo Rossi in 1982.

Lionel Messi +130

Messi is the second favorite to Mbappe in both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball. He won the Golden Ball in Brazil in 2014 when Argentina finished runner-up to Germany. A win next week would make Messi the first player to win two Golden Balls since the award was introduced in 1982.

If Argentina wins it all, Messi is definitely taking this award, minus an injury. He has four goals and two assists so far and scored in both knockout round games plus the penalty shootout against Netherlands. Being involved in a goal against Croatia, with a win, would boost Messi’s chances, especially if France loses.

Messi, like Mbappe, has a chance to leave Qatar with a team title, Golden Ball and Golden Boot. He’s not the favorite in any of the three, but don’t be surprised if the most decorated individual player in the world gets it done.

Luka Modric +2000

Croatia’s Luka Modric is in the same position he was in four years ago. He is the undisputed leader of a team pulling upset after upset despite not having a goal or an assist. When Croatia made the final in 2018, Modric won this award even though his team lost to France 4-2 in the finals.

Four years ago, Modric had two goals and an assist in the World Cup. He still has a chance to match those numbers and lead Croatia to another final or even a title. If the Croatians leave Qatar as champions with wins over Belgium, Brazil, Argentina, and France, it will be hard to deny Modric a second straight Golden Ball.

Hakim Ziyech +2500

The Cinderella team of the tournament is no doubt Morocco. They are the first African side to make a semifinal, and everything else they do this week will make history as well. They have already knocked off powerhouses in Belgium, Spain, and Portugal while also drawing Croatia in the group stage.

Hakim Ziyech scored in the group stage and added an assist. He had a free kick goal overturned by VAR and also scored in the penalty kick shootout against Spain. Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri are the attacking leaders for Morocco, and if they are going to take down France and either Argentina or Croatia, they will need those two to add to their stats.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?