Zinedine Zidane has won the FIFA "Golden Ball" Award as the most valuable player at the World Cup. Despite his horrible fault in the World Cup final, the French midfielder was voted as the best footballer in the competition. Second was Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro, only 35 votes away. He was followed by teammate Andrea Pirlo, but the AC Milan player was way back, more than 1200 votes away.

Still, if we are to think about the competition itself, we have to give some credit to FIFA and admit that Zidane is truly a football genius. Let's just not think of the 110th minute of the final and look at France's road to the final. Do you really think they would have made it this far if it wasn't for him? No matter his temperamental reaction, Zizou is truly a magician, a man that we will always miss on that green rectangle.

And that's why people voted for Zidane. If it was about fair play, Zizou was not to be voted for sure. But football is about skill, attitude and leadership. And Zidane proved all of us that an "old grandpa'" still has it in him to lead the way for a World Cup final. Just try to remember France's match against Brazil and you will see what I mean.

I know that this sounds more like an editorial than a piece of news, but I'm simply trying to get into the voters minds. And sure, Cannavaro is truly a great player. In my opinion, the most outstanding defenders that football ever saw. But it would have been way too cruel for Zidane to lose the "Golden Ball" like that. After all, it isn't every day that a footballer like Zidane leaves the world of football. His most terrible punishment was leaving the field and taking a final glance at the World Cup title and the disappointed faces of all his fans. What happened next - with the media and everything - is just "people talking".

Here are the votes for the top 3 players at the World Cup:

-Zidane - 2,012;
-Fabio Cannavaro- 1,977;
-Andrea Pirlo -715.