Lionel Messi might be on the verge of adding yet another achievement to his unparalleled World Cup resume before the final has even kicked off. With Argentina preparing to face Spain in the biggest game of the tournament, reports say that FIFA has already settled on one of the tournament’s biggest awards.

“The FIFA technical committee met up on Friday to discuss the awards handed out after the World Cup final,” a report from @TouchlineX read on X. “It has already been decided: Leo Messi has won the Golden Ball award, regardless of what happens in the final.”

The adidas Golden Ball is usually decided on ahead of the final game of the tournament, since the award is not entirely based on stats, but overall impact and influence over the course of the tournament. It is given to the best player of the World Cup. FIFA uses a two-step process for the award: first, a shortlist is made by the FIFA Technical Study Group, which includes former coaches, players, and analysts.

Afterward, members of the international football media can cast their votes for one of the members of the shortlist, and the three players with the most votes receive the Golden Ball, Silver Ball, and Bronze Ball.

Notably, Messi is the only player to have won the Golden Ball twice, and winning it a third time would solidify his legacy even further. He previously won the award in 2014, when Argentina finished as the runner-up, and then in 2022, after leading Argentina to the World Cup title.

In this year’s tournament, the 39-year-old Messi has shown that he’s still at the top of his game. He has scored eight goals and assisted on four attempts, only second to France’s Kylian Mbappé.

Apart from this, Messi has also had a solid impact on every game Argentina has played, earning Man of the Match honors for five of the team’s seven games so far, including the games against Egypt in the Round of 16 and England in the semifinal.

His leadership and consistency have kept him firmly among the favorites for the tournament’s top individual accolade.

While FIFA is yet to officially announce the winner, if the reports are true, Messi will cement his status as the most decorated individual performer in the history of the World Cup, adding yet another Golden Ball to an already glowing resume.

Winning the Golden Ball and the World Cup trophy together would be huge! But only time will tell.