Quiz! Name the top-three finishers in World Cup Golden Ball standings 1986-2014

Gauging the best player at a World Cup isn’t easy. Sometimes, such as in 1986, the pick is so obvious that even FIFA couldn’t muck it up. At other times, votes are split between flying goalkeepers, totemic defenders, midfield wizards and hot-shot strikers.

It hasn’t helped that FIFA tend to vote on the Golden Ball award, given to a tournament’s best player, before the actual final. In more than one case, this precipitated a player having a bit of a stinker in the event's showpiece occasion itself. Oops.

Yet each of these players have made the podium for the best player in a World Cup. No Englishmen, you’ll note, which is particularly crushing when we recall Emile Heskey putting Denmark to the sword in 2002. 

Now, six minutes are on the clock to try to get all 24 answers. Let us know how you do @FourFourTwo – we’ll retweet the best, if you don’t give answers away – and then challenge some worldly and/or golden pals. Yes! 

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