FIFA president Sepp Blatter admitted that handing the Golden Ball award to Lionel Messi during the 2014 FIFA World Cup was a mistake despite leading Argentina to the final.
Blatter told reporters in Russia on Tuesday that the awards committee was incorrect in naming Messi as the best player of the tournament even if he scored four goals to lead his country to the World Cup final where they eventually lost to Germany.
"I think the decision to give Messi the Golden Ball was incorrect," Blatter said in a press conference after inspecting the facilities for the 2018 World Cup in Moscow, Russia.
Blatter, who previously questioned the decision right after the tournament ended, added that he was surprised when he was informed about it, saying that the committee admitted that they only looked at 10 players from Germany and Argentina.
"I was surprised when I received the committee's decision," Blatter admitted. "They told me they had only looked at 10 of the players who took part in the final."
Blatter remained firm in his previous stance that Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer should have been named as the best player of the tournament for steering Germany to World Cup success.
FIFA Technical Study Group member Gerard Houllier previously defended their decision to hand Messi the Golden Ball award, reiterating that the Argentine superstar did enough to get the honor.
"I understand that it has surprised, because everyone only remembers the second half of Lionel Messi in the final," Houllier previously said via ESPN FC. "We, the commission, we look at all the games, and we judge that he was the most important man for his team. He went to the final, which is one of the conditions for the attribution of the trophy."
Houllier also reiterated that Messi was played impressively in their first four matches and in their semifinal match against Netherlands, while also playing the captain's role effectively.
"Messi was more than decisive in the first four games. In the semifinal against the Netherlands, he took the first penalty and scored," Houllier added. "The analysis also takes into account the fact he was the captain of a united team. A team that played well together. That's something we hadn't seen for a long time from Argentina."
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