Diego Forlan Wins Golden Ball at World Cup 2010

Diego Forlan wins the Golden Ball award at the 2010 World Cup after leading Uruguay to a fourth-place finish in the tournament.

The Golden Ball, given to the best player at the FIFA World Cup, was awarded to Forlan over Spain's David Villa and the Netherlands' Wesley Sneijder, who finished second and third respectively in the voting.

Forlan tallied five goals in the tournament and was also in the running for the Golden Boot award, but that honor went to Germany's Thomas Müller, who won the tiebreaker with most assists. It's the first time since 1990 that neither award winner played in the final match. Salvatore Schillaci won the 1990 Golden Ball despite Italy's loss to Argentina in the semifinals that year.

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"It's as great as it is unexpected," Forlan told FIFA.com after winning the award. "I never even imagined something like this, nor did I have my sights set on it."

Forlan, despite playing with a leg injury in Uruguay's third-place game against Germany, scored a volley and also hit the crossbar with a kick at the last minute in a 3-2 defeat on Saturday. Forlan became the first player since Lothar Matthaus in 1990 to score three goals outside the penalty area in one tournament.

Even in triumph, the 31-year-old star said he's heading home with bittersweet feelings. "Losing the semifinal was a really cruel blow, which took me a couple of days to get over and which I still find hard to swallow," Forlan told FIFA.com.

Forlan drew raves for his two-goal performance against South Africa in the first round and he scored Uruguay's only goals in the quarterfinal and semifinal. With his skill and knack for goals, the Atlético Madrid striker carried Uruguay to its best showing since the 1970 World Cup.

While he hasn't received his golden trophy yet, Forlan didn't waste any time in sharing the reward with his teammates. "I'd also like to highlight those lads who didn't play much or didn't feature at all," Forlan said. "Those guys make up the backbone of the squad and this award is for them too."