Anyone who watched Diego Forlan play throughout this tournament has to be happy that he’s taking home the Golden Ball for overall best player. He was a major reason why Uruguay went so deep in the Cup, and is really just a pleasure to watch.

You could count his poor plays on only one hand, and that’s every game combined. His team just needed to send a ball anywhere near him, and even though he was always marked, and would be very quickly double-teamed, he would hold the ball long enough for his side to move into attack. And he almost always made the right decision when running forward with the ball, whether to shoot or distribute to the most dangerous and well-placed runner. I’m watching more Atletico Madrid this season.

Golden Boot

Big ups to the 20 yr old Golden Boot winner Thomas Mueller for his 5 goals and 3 assists  (assists saw him over Villa and Sneijder who each had 5 goals too, but only 1 asst a piece). He also won best young player of the tournament, or whatever that award is called.

He played the classic, late-arriving midfielder position, making great runs to the box just as the defense thought everyone was accounted for. He was missed during that Spain semi, though he may not really have made much impact on that one.

Golden Glove

Iker Casillas was solid throughout the tournament, and was fantastic in the final, stopping a one-on-one and killing any ball that came his way. He was a rock for Spain throughout the tournament, conceding only 2 goals the whole tournament.

Well done to him, and his whole team for a well played Cup.