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2022 World Cup Golden Ball Betting | Odds & Predictions

2022 World Cup Golden Ball Betting | Odds & Predictions

Author: Steven D. Thompson

Updated: 24/03/2025 11:30 AM

The 2022 World Cup offers a fantastic range of wagering opportunities, such as betting on the WC best player award - the first choice for seasoned punters. Like top scorer wagers, Golden Ball bets allow you to profit from the performances of individual players. Learn more about the World Cup Golden Ball betting market, get the best picks and find some good value odds right here at Betpack.

Table of Contents

Golden Ball vs Golden Boot

The Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards are given to exceptional football players. But what's the difference between them? We list the similarities and differences between the two awards and help you place more educated Golden Ball bets.

Golden Ball

Given to the best player of the tournament - the technical committee creates a shortlist, and representatives of the media vote
The award was first instituted at the 1982 World Cup
Previous winners include goalkeepers (Oliver Kahn), midfielders (Luka Modric), and forwards (Lionel Messi)
You can bet on who the winner will be

Golden Boot

Awarded to the player who scores the most goals
Top scorers were ranked since the 1930s, but the Golden Boot award was officially introduced in 1982
It is usually forwards who win the award e.g. England's Harry Kane, Miroslav Klose, Thomas Muller
You can place Golden Boot bets too

2022 World Cup Best Player Betting: Favourites & Odds

Mbappe is the bookies' favourite and leads all World Cup Best Player betting markets (early odds) for this historic tournament which will be played in the middle of the season for the biggest European football leagues. If you back him, you can expect to get Golden Ball World Cup odds of around 7.00. If you are looking for players priced higher, Harry Kane, as well as Neymar, Benzema, and Messi will do the trick. Cristiano Ronaldo is a really good value bet and he is one of the favourites to win the illustrious World Cup accolade. Then again, it could be one of the goalkeepers, defenders or midfielders as well to win it.

2022 World Cup Golden Ball Betting Odds:

To Win	Rizk	Betsson
Kylian Mbappé	7.00	7.00
Harry Kane	10.00	10.00
Karim Benzema	12.00	12.00
Lionel Messi	12.00	12.00
Neymar	12.00	12.00
Cristiano Ronaldo	14.00	14.00
Kevin de Bruyne	15.00	15.00
Gabriel Jesus	15.00	15.00
Luka Modric	17.00	17.00
Angel Di Maria	20.00	20.00
Bruno Fernandes	20.00	20.00
Leroy Sané	20.00	20.00
Vinicius	20.00	20.00
Christian Eriksen	25.00	25.00
Roberto Firmino	25.00	25.00
Serge Gnabry	25.00	25.00
Son Heung-min	25.00	25.00
Robert Lewandowski	25.00	25.00
Romelu Lukaku	25.00	25.00
Lautaro Martinez	25.00	25.00
Jadon Sancho	25.00	25.00
Raheem Sterling	25.00	25.00
Sadio Mane	30.00	30.00
Álvaro Morata	35.00	35.00
Memphis Depay	40.00	40.00
Paulo Dybala	40.00	40.00
Antoine Griezmann	40.00	40.00
Sergej Milinkovic Savic	40.00	40.00
Thomas Müller	40.00	40.00
Tammy Abraham	50.00	50.00
Eden Hazard	50.00	50.00
Diogo Jota	50.00	50.00
Ivan Perisic	50.00	50.00
Paul Pogba	50.00	50.00
Christian Pulisic	50.00	50.00
Richarlison	50.00	50.00
Dusan Vlahovic	50.00	50.00
Timo Werner	50.00	50.00
Hakim Ziyech	50.00	50.00
Kasper Dolberg	75.00	75.00
Yussuf Poulsen	75.00	75.00
Ante Rebić	75.00	75.00
Gareth Bale	100.00	100.00
Martin Braithwaite	100.00	100.00
Marcus Rashford	100.00	100.00

How to Bet on Golden Ball Award

Are you checking out World Cup best player betting markets? That's great. We do that all the time ourselves. However, now is the right time to transition from looking at World Cup Golden Ball betting markets to wagering on them. In four simple steps, learn how to bet on the WC Best Player award:

Step 1

Step 1: Shortlist the Best Players

First, draw up a bunch of players you think will be in the running for the 2022 World Cup Best Player award. This group will probably include players such as permanent Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappe and arguably the best player in the English Premier League - Kevin De Bruyne. It will also likely feature serial Ballon d'Or winners C. Ronaldo and L. Messi - the latter being the man who hopes to lead Argentina to World Cup glory.

Step 2

Step 2: Make Your Pick

The next step is to pick the player you will back. Before going for one individual, though, think of how many games he will take part in. The more matches the player appears in, the better his chances of being selected as the best player of the WC. Most Golden Ball Winners reach the final or at least the semi-finals of the World Cup and play six or seven games.

Step 3

Step 3: Find the Best Odds

Now that you have picked your player, find the bookmaker that gives you the best value. Our advice is to go with one of the top betting sites we feature and see which one gives you enticing betting WC best player odds. You will probably find several bookmakers with pretty high World Cup Golden Ball betting returns at Betpack, so pick the bookie that seems like a good fit.

Step 4

Step 4: Place Your Golden Ball Bet

The time has come for you to place your Golden Ball bet. Go to the Sports section in your selected bookie's website/application, pick Football, and click on World Cup. Once there, you will see different World Cup betting markets. Click on Outrights and find the World Cup Best Player betting market. Click on the odds next to the player you want to back and place your bet. Good luck!

History of the WC Golden Ball Award

The Golden Ball was first introduced at the 1982 World Cup in Spain and Paolo Rossi was the winner. In 1986, the legendary Diego Maradona won the award after he guided Argentina to the WC trophy, whereas in 1990, Salvatore Schillaci won the Best Player WC award representing hosts Italy.

Two star players from Brazil, Romario and Ronaldo won the Golden Ball WC award in the finals of 1994 and 1998, while goalkeeper Oliver Kahn from Germany took the award home in 2002. Former Real Madrid player and coach and leader of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane, won the Golden Ball in 2006, followed by Diego Forlan (2010), Lionel Messi (2014), and Luka Modric (2018).

Golden Ball Award vs France Football Ballon d'Or

The Golden Ball and France Football Ballon d'Or awards are given to the best football players. However, there's one big difference between them. The Golden Ball WC award is given to the best footballer in each of the World Cups, where players represent their nations. As we already mentioned, for this award, the technical committee shortlist the best footballers and the media vote and name the winner.

In contrast, France Football's award is intended for the player who performed the best during the season and is given for international and club achievements. For instance, the French football magazine gave the award to C. Ronaldo in 2017 because he was the best player for the Los Blancos, scored a lot of important goals, and his team were the champions of Europe.

Our Prediction for the World Cup 2022 Best Player

Kylian Mbappe is the favourite to win the WC Best Player award and also leads the pack when it comes to how bookies see the situation. However, he is not our pick to be the winner of the much-coveted award because we feel he is still not the leader of his national team. We would much rather go with C. Ronaldo. The Portuguese star collected the EURO 2020 Top Goal Scorer award and notched five goals. Ronaldo's game is second to none, and since this could be his last big international tournament, we think he will go all in and will top betting WC Best Player charts.

Could Messi Win It?

If you agree with many bookies and see La Albiceleste as one of the favourites, Lionel Messi might just end up being selected as the most valuable player in Qatar. He was able to do it in Copa America, and even though the stakes are even bigger now, he has shown his doubters that he can deliver on the international level as well. On top of his ability to score, Messi is nowadays a well-seasoned playmaker as well, and that increases his possibility to win this respected individual award if Argentina goes far in the WC 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Likely to Win the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot?

There are several World Cup Golden Ball betting favourites, and each one comes in with a decent chance to win the award. Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as Brazil duo Neymar and Gabriel Jesus all have the chance to be the winner.

Are the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot the Same?

No, they aren't. The Golden Boot is awarded to the player who scores the most goals at the World Cup. In contrast, the Golden Ball is given to the player who the technical committee and the media think performed the best during the World Cup.

Who is the Favourite in World Cup Best Player Betting Markets?

According to bookmakers, Kylian Mbappe (France) has the best chance to win the award and has the lowest Golden Ball odds. Other World Cup Golden Ball betting front runners include Harry Kane (England), Neymar (Brazil), Karim Benzema (France), Messi (Argentina), and a couple of more best players in the world.