2018 World Cup Awards

The 2018 World Cup ended on Sunday after a 32 days of wild and unforgettable moments. France was crowned champion after beating Cinderella Croatia 4-2 in the final in Moscow. The tournament featured 169 goals scored and it came within two of tying the highest scoring World Cup ever.

Russia 2018 had its ups and downs (early exits for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo) but it also featured plenty of surprises (England and Belgium reaching the semis, Croatia finishing second). It also featured some great individual performances. Let's take a look at the winners of the individual awards handed out after Sunday's final:
Golden Ball Award: The superstar midfielder Luka Modric, Croatia earned the tournament's best player award, serving as the heart and soul of the team's dream run to the final. He figured to have competition from Kylian Mbappe and others, but he was the most complete, consistent player and rightfully takes home the award. While Belgium's Eden Hazard won the Silver Ball and France's Antoine Grieznann won the Bronze Ball to Complete the Honours, podium.

FIFA Young Player Award: There was no way it was going to be anybody else for this award but the young talented Kylian Mbappe, France. The 19-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star had four goals, including one in the final and three in the knockout stage. A guy who already blew up before the tournament at Monaco, he now enters the future as the best young player in the world. All signs point to him winning the Ballon d'Or award in a few years.

Golden Boot Award: He wasn't the best striker in this tourney, but Harry Kane, England finishes as top scorer with six goals. Three of them came off penalty kicks, which doesn't make it as impressive. Not a single player in Russia scored more, and you can't deny that. Quite the honor for the 24-year-old Totten ham man, who should only get better.

Golden Glove Award: Thibaut Courtois, Belgium Voted best goalkeeper, Courtois conceded six goals in seven games while Belgium took third place, its best finish in the World Cup. Part of why he gave up so many goals was because of Roberto Martinez's lineup that featured three center backs and two wing backs. The Chelsea man made some unbelievable saves, especially in the match against Neymar and Brazil to take home the top honour.

By Mercy Kukah