Today, Live Soccer TV compares the two players – Holland’s Wesley Sneijder and Spain’s David Villa. Who is the better player? Who deserves to win the Golden Ball award? Who will shine at the Soccer City Stadium on Sunday night? Who will end up on the losing side? Who will get his hands on the 2010 FIFA World Cup trophy? Wesley Sneijder or David Villa?
What is the Golden Ball Award?
The Golden Ball Award is a trophy presented to the World Cup’s best players. Nominees are selected by the FIFA Technical Study Group. Football experts such as Jomo Sono, Kalusha Bwalya, Christian Karembu, and Gerard Houllier are all part of this group. There are 10 Golden Ball award nominees. This year, the list goes as follows:
Diego Forlan from Uruguay
Asamoah Gyan from Ghana
Andres Iniesta from Spain
Lionel Messi from Argentina
Mesut Ozil from Germany
Arjen Robben from Holland
Bastian Schweinsteiger from Germany
Wesley Sneijder from Holland
David Villa from Spain
Xavi from Spain
Golden Ball Favorites Wesley Sneijder And David Villa
Despite being positioned as a midfielder on the pitch, Wesley Sneijder’s attacking flair and miraculous touches has fired him at the top of the 2010 FIFA World Cup goal scoring chart with five goals like Spain’s David Villa. The 1.70 cm-tall man’s goals included a brace against Brazil in the quarter-finals of the tournament. Apart from scoring goals, Wesley Sneijder has also been terrific in his area.
Meanwhile, David Villa has been a real sensation for the Spanish national team. He is the envy of many coaches as firing the ball at the back of the net is what he does best. LiveSoccerTV.com compares the two players based on statistics.
Holland’s Wesley Sneijder vs Spain’s David Villa – Goals:
Wesley Sneijder: 5 goals scored, 0 penalties, 3 goals scored in the penalty area, 2 goals scored in the first half, 3 goals scored in the second half.
David Villa: 5 goals scored, 0 penalties (1 penalty miss), 3 goals scored in the penalty area, 2 goals scored in the first half, 3 goals scored in the second half.
It’s amazing how Wesley Sneijder and David Villa’s statistics are similar at this level. Let’s take it as a draw.
Holland’s Wesley Sneijder vs Spain’s David Villa – Fouls Committed:
Wesley Sneijder: 13 fouls committed, 10 fouls suffered, 1 yellow card, 0 red cards
David Villa: 2 fouls committed, 13 fouls suffered, 0 yellow cards, 0 red cards
Based on statistics, David Villa beats the Netherlands' Wesley Sneijder on this note.
Holland’s Wesley Sneijder vs Spain’s David Villa – Shots
Wesley Sneijder: 22 shots, 10 shots on target, 7 shots blocked, 16 shots outside the penalty area, 6 shots in the penalty area.
David Villa: 26 shots, 16 shots on target, 2 shots blocked, 17 shots outside the penalty area, 9 shots in the penalty area.
David Villa certainly deserves to be on top of Wesley Sneijder in terms of shots.
Holland’s Wesley Sneijder vs Spain’s David Villa – Passes
Wesley Sneijder: 325 passes, 84 short passes, 55 long passes, 186 medium passes, 71% of passes completion rate.
David Villa: 219 passes, 66 short passes, 28 long passes, 125 medium passes, 68% of passes completion rate.
Wesley Sneijder probably deserves to win this section ahead of David Villa.
So it comes down to a draw, 2 David Villa wins, and 1 Wesley Sneijder win. In truth, who is the better player? Is it the Netherlands' Wesley Sneijder or Spain’s David Villa? Who deserves to win the Golden Ball award?
Watch World Cup Final Live - Netherlands vs Spain
Related article: 2010 World Cup Final: Netherlands-Spain, Top 5 Hot Questions About Spain