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Who will win the 2022 World Cup Golden Ball?

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The Golden Ball is handed out to the best player at the World Cup and awarded by the FIFA technical committee.

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The winner will likely be on the field of play when France take on Argentina in the final on Sunday. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have led their sides to the finale at Lusail Iconic Stadium and whoever comes out on top may claim the award.

While those two Paris Saint-Germain stars are the favourites, there are a few others in with a shout of being named the best player at the 2022 World Cup.

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Lionel Messi

Messi is the current Golden Ball favourite / Stefan Matzke – sampics/GettyImages

Lionel Messi is a former World Cup Golden Ball winner, being named the best player of the 2014 tournament. That was a slightly controversial decision, given Messi wasn’t at his sparkling best as Argentina were beaten finalists, but this year he would be a deserving winner.

The PSG forward is also a Golden Boot contender and may end up with awards if Argentina do beat France. With five goals and three assists, he’d be a worthy winner.

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Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe could win back to back World Cups / Stefan Matzke – sampics/GettyImages

On the other side of the equation is Kylian Mbappe. France weren’t fancied at the start of the tournament due to their lengthy injury list, but with Mbappe they’ve retained the lethal threat that made them champions in 2018.

Like Messi, Mbappe has scored five times in Qatar and has wowed crowds with his impressive pace and some thunderbolt strikes. If France beat Argentina, the PSG forward will almost certainly have impacted the result.

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Antoine Griezmann

Griezmann is running things for France / Ian MacNicol/GettyImages

The 2022 World Cup has served as a reminder to the wider footballing world that Antoine Griezmann remains an incredibly gifted player.

Now playing deeper than his 2018 number ten role, the Atletico Madrid star has retained his creative streak but added bite to his defensive play, constantly regaining possession while setting up three goals.

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Julian Alvarez

Alvarez was brilliant against Argentina / Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/GettyImages

Part of what has made Messi so good at this World Cup has been the relentless energy of teammate Julian Alvarez in attack.

The Manchester City youngster took his chance when handed a start against Poland and proved the difference in Argentina’s semi final victory over Croatia where he scored twice.

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Olivier Giroud

Giroud has led France’s line expertly / Quality Sport Images/GettyImages

After a dry 2018 World Cup, Giroud has exploded into life at Qatar with vital goals for France.

Leading Les Bleus’ well balanced attack, the former Arsenal striker has quashed any rumours of a spat with Mbappe and the pair have formed a brilliant partnership. The Golden Ball may be a step too far, but Giroud is certainly now rated among the best strikers in the world.

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Sofyan Amrabat

Amrabat was immense for Morocco / Alex Livesey – Danehouse/GettyImages

It’s certainly an outside bet, but Sofyan Amrabat was arguably the breakout star of the 2022 World Cup.

He had been linked with a move away from Fiorentina last year but will likely have his pick of the clubs whenever he chooses to move after his tireless displays in Morocco’s midfield helped them to the semi finals.

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Luka Modric

Modric won the Golden Ball but lost the World Cup final / Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/GettyImages

The 2018 World Cup Golden Ball was scooped by Croatia legend Luka Modric.

The Real Madrid midfielder put in dazzling displays during the Balkan nation’s run to the final, scoring twice in the tournament before Croatia were beaten by France in the final.

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Modric would go on to win that year’s Ballon d’Or, breaking the stranglehold Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi previously had on the award.



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EPL

Tottenham weighing up decision on Antonio Conte future

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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is weighing up whether to sack manager Antonio Conte this week, 90min understands.

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While Spurs remain fourth in the Premier League, limp exits in the FA Cup and Champions League threw the Italian’s future into doubt and his meltdown at Southampton plunged the club further into crisis.

90min revealed earlier on Monday Tottenham could be forced to pay Conte a whipping £15m if they dismiss him before the end of the season.

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Now, sources have confirmed Conte is back in Italy for a routine trip to his homeland having held talks with Spurs boss Levy. A final decision has not yet been reached but a number of officials at the club believe Conte’s position is untenable.



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Football

Players of the MLS Matchday 4

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Another weekend of MLS saw action-packed scenes on the field from coast to coast.

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From one-sided blowouts to records being broken, week four of MLS lived up to the expectations set by week three. On the field, many players stood out for their teams, making them worthy of praise for their efforts.

Here at the top five players from week four…

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Junior Moreno is a vital part of FC Cincinnati.

Junior Moreno is a vital part of FC Cincinnati. / Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

FC Cincinnati started off the season well; They are currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference with eight points through four games. Their latest match against the Chicago Fire was an all-out attacking spectacle.

Junior Moreno led the way for Cincinnati with a two-goal performance that saw the men in Orange take a point home. Though Moreno isn’t the most well-known player on the roster, his impact was felt on match date four.  

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Jesus Ferreira helps FC Dallas win.

Jesus Ferreira helps FC Dallas win. / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Jesus Ferreira is a man in form. The 22-year-old was on the score sheet once again for FC Dallas as they beat Sporting KC 2-1. 

Ferreira had a complete game, scoring once and also creating for his teammates. With this win, Dallas is now fourth in the Western Conference on seven points. 

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Joao Klauss is propelling St. Louis to success.

Joao Klauss is propelling St. Louis to success. / Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports

Here comes Joao Klauss!

The 26-year-old Brazillian notched his third goal in four games for St. Louis City as they beat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0. Despite being a forward, Klauss was active on both sides of the pitch, ending the game with five passes into the final third, two interceptions, and three recoveries. 

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Talk about a well-rounded player. 

Romell Quioto is vital for CF Montreal.

Romell Quioto is vital for CF Montreal. / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

CF Montreal got their first win of the season with a shock victory against defending Eastern Conference champions, the Philadelphia Union.

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Romell Quioto led the way for Hernan Losada’s men scoring a brace to lift them over a struggling Union side. The Honduras international finished the game with four total shots, two passes into the final third on just 27 touches, the least of any outfield player. 

Thiago Almada is on fire for Atlanta United.

Thiago Almada is on fire for Atlanta United. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

What more can be said about Thiago Almada?

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Arguably the best player in the league, the World Cup winner is having an incredible start to the year for Atlanta United. Not only did the Stars and Stripes put on a clinic against the Portland Timbers, but Almada scored a Goal of the Year candidate in the 45th minute with a looping free kick to beat Timbers netminder Aljaz Ivacic. 

With performances like these, it’s only a matter of time before big European clubs come knocking for the young Argentine’s talents. 

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Charlotte FC quiet the Lions as they pick up their first win of the season

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Charlotte FC picks up their first win of the season with a challenging 2-1 win away at Orlando City. 

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With the pressure mounting after three straight losses to start the season, Charlotte FC broke their winless streak with a 2-1 triumph over Orlando City SC. Head coach Christian Lattanzio lined up his side in a slightly different starting XI, leaving Designated Players Karol Swiderski and Kamil Jóźwiak on the bench due to bad form. In their place were 21-year-old Kerwin Vargas and 25-year-old McKinze Gaines. 

Since arriving in MLS, Jozwiak has fallen short of expectations, with the Poland international failing to score in the league and only assisting three times in 23 matches. This personnel switch saw Charlotte play an attacking brand of football with much more cohesion as a team.

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“…I am very, very proud of the boys because they played a complete game in the sense that they attacked when they had the possibility to do it. They defended when they had to. In football, you need to fight to impose your game and impose yourself into the game. And I think that this has to be a part of our DNA.”

Lattanzio spoke about the lineup changes after the match, saying that he gave specific players chances to show their quality, but their on-field performances fell flat.

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“I made the changes because we played three games and I gave certain players opportunities to play and I think it’s only fair to give other players opportunities when things don’t work the way we’d like them to work.”

He also touched on their roster depth and how it’s important to give chances to players who will perform well.

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“It’s part of the team, that’s why we have a roster and on many occasions I said that I really trust all the players on the roster because they train well. We decided to give opportunities to guys that trained well, and they proved it.”

Though it is a massive win for Charlotte, rookie goalkeeper George Marks pumped the brakes on the hype train and said in his post-game comments that the team needs to continue to work hard if they want results like this to come.

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“…Tomorrow it’s back to the grindstone, try to look at the performance objectively, not just throw it to the side because we won the game and try to look at the little details, what we could do better, what we need to continue to do, so we can get this thing rolling in the right direction.

“I said during the week not to talk, to put the head down, keep working. And despite the win, for me it’s the same. We keep the head down, we let other people talk now. We let people talk, we listen, whatever, but we are very determined to improve on a weekly basis”.

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Charlotte FC will continue their MLS campaign this weekend as they take on the New York Red Bulls.



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