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Johannesburg - Uruguay striker Diego Forlan was on Sunday surprisingly awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Atletico Madrid striker Forlan grabbed five goals at the tournament as his country finished in fourth place after losing Saturday's third-place playoff to Germany.
The former Manchester United player polled 23.4% of the votes awarded by media covering the tournament with Wesley Sneijder, of runners-up Holland, on 21.8%, and David Villa, of newly-crowned champions Spain, taking 16.9%.
"This is award which I won thanks to my team-mates," wrote Forlan on his Twitter account, a post accompanied by a photograph where the striker is standing with other players.
"It was taken before they threw me in the swimming pool," he explained.
Uruguay's performance at the World Cup was the country's best in 40 years.
Forlan succeeds Zinedine Zidane who was named top player of the 2006 World Cup despite his infamous red card in the final defeat to Italy.
Forlan's victory was a surprise as five players who featured in Sunday's final (Villa, Xavi, Andres Iniesta of Spain and Holland's Arjen Robben and Sneijder) all figured in the list of 10 nominees.
The 31-year-old Forlan also won the Europa League last season with Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid striker Forlan grabbed five goals at the tournament as his country finished in fourth place after losing Saturday's third-place playoff to Germany.
The former Manchester United player polled 23.4% of the votes awarded by media covering the tournament with Wesley Sneijder, of runners-up Holland, on 21.8%, and David Villa, of newly-crowned champions Spain, taking 16.9%.
"This is award which I won thanks to my team-mates," wrote Forlan on his Twitter account, a post accompanied by a photograph where the striker is standing with other players.
"It was taken before they threw me in the swimming pool," he explained.
Uruguay's performance at the World Cup was the country's best in 40 years.
Forlan succeeds Zinedine Zidane who was named top player of the 2006 World Cup despite his infamous red card in the final defeat to Italy.
Forlan's victory was a surprise as five players who featured in Sunday's final (Villa, Xavi, Andres Iniesta of Spain and Holland's Arjen Robben and Sneijder) all figured in the list of 10 nominees.
The 31-year-old Forlan also won the Europa League last season with Atletico Madrid.
