Messi didn't deserve Golden Ball

Cape Town - The man who lead Argentina to their last SWC triumph in 1986 has said that Lionel Messi was not the rightful winner of the 2014 Golden Ball.

Kickoff.com reports that the former manager of the Argentina side felt that "some marketing plan" was the reason behind awarding the prize to Messi.

Diego Maradona, the last Argentine captain to lift the World Cup trophy, felt that Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Ball for ulterior motives.

The Golden Ball is awarded to the player of the tournament and after Messi failed to find the knock-out phase and a lethargic display in the final, many fans are joining in the chorus sung by Maradona by pointing the finger at FIFA in saying that the best man did not win the title.

To Messi's credit, he did not celebrate his award with any enthusiasm.

Messi beat out the likes of Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels, Arjen Robben and Golden Ball winner James Rodriguez to claim the prize.  

Maradona suggested that Messi receiving the award was down to commercial reasons.