16 Jul 2014

Messi didn't deserve Golden Ball - Maradona

11:38 am on 16 July 2014

The former Argentine football great Diego Maradona says his countryman Lionel Messi didn't deserve to win the World Cup "Golden Ball" as player of the tournament.

The Argentine great, Diego Maradona, doesn't think Lionel Messi (pictured) deserved to win the World Cup "Golden Ball".

The Argentine great, Diego Maradona, doesn't think Lionel Messi (pictured) deserved to win the World Cup "Golden Ball". Photo: AFP

Maradona said he was happy with the overall performance of the team, but he thought the Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez should have won the individual award after scoring six goals in Brazil, two more than Messi - who failed to find the net in the knockout rounds.

FIFA's president Sepp Blatter also expressed surprise at the choice of Messi, which was made by FIFA's technical study group.