Blatter surprised with Messi winning Golden Ball award in WC

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said that Argentina's Lionel Messi being named the World Cup's best player left him a little bit surprised.

Blatter is of the opinion that Messi, who was awarded the Golden Ball after Argentina's 1-0 loss to Germany in the World Cup final, was given the award on the strength of his four goals during the group stage.

Even Argentina legend Diego Maradona felt that Messi had been a surprise choice and claimed that Colombia's James Rodriguez had performed better in Brazil, The BBC reported.

Maradona, who was named the best player when Argentina won the World Cup in 1986, said that the marketing people had chosen the wrong man and called the decision unfair.

Meanwhile, Messi said that he does not care about the prize right now, adding that he wanted to take Argentina to the World Cup for all the people.

FIFA's Technical Study Group, a 13-strong committee that analyses matches at international tournaments, decides The Golden Ball and other individual prizes, such as the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper, the report added.