On Sunday evening, Spain was crowned world champion for the second time in its history. The Iberians’ impressive tournament performance is also reflected in the FIFA Awards.
Without ever trailing in a single match during the tournament, Spain was crowned world champion. The first title since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2010 was well-deserved—and was honored by FIFA with various awards.
Unsurprisingly, final scorer Ferran Torres—who scored the golden goal in extra time as a substitute following a well-placed header assist from fellow substitute Nico Williams—was named “Man of the Match.” Three of the match-winner’s teammates from FC Barcelona took center stage.
First, center back Pau Cubarsi—who, like Ferran Torres, plays in Catalonia and was a standout throughout the tournament—was named Best Young Player. The 19-year-old didn’t miss a single minute of the World Cup and remained completely composed even in the final. In the 2-1 victory over Belgium in the quarterfinals—Spain’s only match in which they conceded a goal—Cubarsi set up the winning goal with a long-range shot.
Another standout performer in the tournament was goalkeeper Unai Simon. The Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper, who set a new World Cup record for the longest stretch without conceding a goal, was quite rightly named the tournament’s best goalkeeper. The 29-year-old kept a clean sheet in seven of eight matches and only had to pick the ball out of the net once, in the quarterfinal against Belgium.
This is how the Royal Family celebrated the national team’s success in the World Cup final pic.twitter.com/IuEreu5a8y
— EL ESPAÑOL (@elespanolcom) July 20, 2026
No “crown” for Messi
A much more exciting question was who would be named the tournament’s best player. Many had expected FIFA to award the Golden Ball to Argentina’s captain, Lionel Messi, in what was likely to be his last World Cup. But the award actually went to Spain’s leader, Rodri. The 30-year-old, who started all eight matches and was substituted late in the game only twice, was the linchpin of Spain’s play.
Incidentally, the scoreless final meant Messi was denied yet another honor: Because Kylian Mbappé scored twice in the third-place match against England (6–4), the Frenchman overtook “La Pulga” in the all-time scoring rankings—and, following this World Cup, is now the sole record-holder for goals scored in World Cup finals.