Zidane WINS Golden Ball

[Gritt23]

Unbelievable.


From the BBC.

Dismissed Zidane wins Golden Ball

Zinedine Zidane won the Golden Ball award for the World Cup's best player, despite being sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the final.

France captain Zidane polled 2012 points in the vote by journalists covering the tournament.

He beat Italians Fabio Cannavaro (1977 points) and Andrea Pirlo (715 points) in the ballot.

Zidane played his last game on Sunday, scoring a penalty and being red-carded as France were defeated on penalties.

 

[Starry]

Something like 80% of the votes were cast before yesterdays game.

 

[Da Man Clay]

Closer than I expected, Thought the sending off was going to cost him though.

 

[Wozza]

Kahn won last time and he had a nightmare final too.

 

[Man of Harveys]

He's won it by default, really.

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Good on him. Had a great tournament and I thought had a fantastic final until the headbutt, which was a great shame (mind you great butt though, better than the header the keeper saved from him)!

 

[Gritt23]

Are you lot all commentators?

Throughout the World Cup every commentator seems to have been literally jizzing all over their mike everytime the fella went anywhere near the ball. Couldn't reign themselves in from salavating over every touch or moody look the guy gave.

Sorry, but I couldn't see it myself. He WAS a truly great player, but has been a pale shadow of that player at this World Cup. He played very well against a hugely disappointing Brazil, but other than that I thought the games pretty much passed him by.

It must just be me.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Someone pointed out on here before the final, that the award is jinxed.

Ronaldo got it in 1998 - all that funny business about being sick during the final

Kahn got it in 2002 - made a howler

Zidane gets in in 2006 - Gets sent off!

Did Baggio get it in 1994?

 

[Dandyman]

http://www.zidane.fr/homepage.html

 

[Beach Hut]

Fabio Cannavaro was the player of the tournament for me.

 

[Marshy]

Are you lot all commentators?

Throughout the World Cup every commentator seems to have been literally jizzing all over their mike everytime the fella went anywhere near the ball. Couldn't reign themselves in from salavating over every touch or moody look the guy gave.

Sorry, but I couldn't see it myself. He WAS a truly great player, but has been a pale shadow of that player at this World Cup. He played very well against a hugely disappointing Brazil, but other than that I thought the games pretty much passed him by.

It must just be me.

Absolutely. He had one good game in my opinion.
The commentary was so over the top everytime he did something it was putting me off. Just because its his last tournament dosent mean we have to cum in our pants over a 10 yard sideways pass he makes !

 

[London Calling]

Are you lot all commentators?

Throughout the World Cup every commentator seems to have been literally jizzing all over their mike everytime the fella went anywhere near the ball. Couldn't reign themselves in from salavating over every touch or moody look the guy gave.

Sorry, but I couldn't see it myself. He WAS a truly great player, but has been a pale shadow of that player at this World Cup. He played very well against a hugely disappointing Brazil, but other than that I thought the games pretty much passed him by.

It must just be me.

Spot on. One good game that was all.

 

[keaton]

He's won it by default, really.

Why?
You don't think Pirlo, Zambrotta, Gattuso or Cannavaro had great tournaments?
or Lehman, Buffon, Kaka, Gonzalez, MArguez, Lahm?
just cos the biggest players in the world didn't perform doesn't mean that a lot of great , mainly defensive players weren't superb

 

[Ice Man]

Fabio Cannavaro was the player of the tournament for me.

Same here, he had an unbelievable tournament.

 

[BBH]

£50 on Cannavaro at 20-1 last week I had.

Thought it was a banker once ZZ went off

 

[paddy]

If the votes were cast after the final Zidane wouldn't have won. All of the media covering the final were asked to vote at half time, after seeing him score a penalty and with the match against Brazil in mind. Surely the votes for the best player should be cast after the tournament has finished instead of during it. That is why people like Kahn have won in the past. I still thought FIFA might have edited the results because of the controversy it is causing.

I would have given it to Cannavaro. Thanks to him Italy only conceeded 2 goals (one an own goal and one a penalty) and he is an inspirational Captin.

I was also pleased to see that Bartez did not break Peter Shilton's record for clean sheets - there is no way he is that good, it has been more to do with the players in front of him.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

I'm not sure about this. It's not up on the official FIFA site yet, and the vote was counted at half-time. I wonder whether FIFA are having second thoughts.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Cannavaro is surely the ONLY winner here? Marshalling the winners, condeding only two goals all tournament. It's a no-brainer, surely?

 

[Lammy]

The general standard of the whole world cup was pretty poor. To be honest on one really stood out for me.

I'd award the golden ball to Klinsmann for actually getting his team to play some attacking football.

 

[graz126]

Fabio Cannavaro was the player of the tournament for me.

from what i have seen, i would have to agree