FIFA's president stated today that he was surprised by the Committee's decision, since he expected a German player to be the winner.

During his visit to Moscow, where he will unveil the logo for World Cup 2018, Joseph Blatter stated giving Lionel Messi the Golden Ball for the past World Cup was a mistake, revealing his candidate to win the award was German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

"I think that decision was incorrect. I was surprised when I was told the Committee's decision, since they chose to evaluate ten players that took part of the Final Match. If they were analyzing players that played the Final match, then Manuel Neuer deserved it a little more," Blatter said to the local press.

Nevertheless, Thomas Müller was awarded the Silver Ball, while Dutch Arjen Robben was elected for the Bronze Ball. Robben was in the middle of controversy for his "diving" skills throughout the tournament, and his, obviously, did not play the final game.

This is not the first time FIFA has been involved in some sort of controversy with this awards. For example, during the 2010 World Cup, the award was given to Diego Forlan instead of a Spanish player. Back in 2006, Zinedine Zidane was awarded the trophy, despite his display during the final match, when he head-butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi.