The Golden Ball for the best player of the 2014 FIFA World Cup will be awarded in the coming days leading up to the big final on Sunday.

Traditionally, this award has been handed out to a player that is a part of one of the semifinalists. The silver ball, for the second best player, has also gone to semifinalists, while the bronze ball has also followed the pattern with one lone exception -- Denmark's Preben Elkjær Larsen in the 1986 tournament.

Here are the top contenders for the Golden Ball as this year's World Cup MVP:

1. Thomas Muller - Germany

Germany's superstar has five goals and three assists and scored the crucial opener against the Brazilians. He needs one more goal to clinch the Golden Boot and will get that chance on Sunday in the Maracana. Muller is an intelligent player with tremendous versatility. He can play on the wing, as he did on Tuesday against Brazil, or he can play as the team's false nine forward as he did against Portugal in the opening game of the tournament. He has scored 10 goals in 12 World Cup games and is only 24; he will certainly play in Russia in four years and could still get another chance at the tournament in 2022 when he will be 32.

2. Lionel Messi - Argentina

The Argentina superstar has not enjoyed a revelatory tournament -- by his standards. Four goals and one assist are certainly commendable (especially after he went home with a goose egg in the goal scoring column four years ago), but he has only managed to show up in short spurts. No one has seen Messi put up a transcendent performance for a full 90 minutes (his best was during the 60 minutes he played against Nigeria and scored twice) and he has not scored since the group stage. That said, he was big in the group round for his team and scored two game-winners. He had the assist on the game-winner over Switzerland and is also the biggest player in the final. He will get some form of recognition and is a lock for one of the three awards.

3. Arjen Robben - Netherlands

The Dutch superstar essentially carried his team on his back throughout the tournament, despite getting some help from Captain Robin van Persie in the first two group games. His dominant speed tore through every defense imaginable. He was the highlight of the Dutch attack and has more than redeemed himself for the poor Euro 2012 showing. He has scored three goals thus far; it might not be enough to win him the Golden Boot, but it could get him one of the top three honors. Maybe even the top one.

4. James Rodriguez - Colombia

This may seem like a longshot, but it is one that must be considered.

The Golden Ball is awarded to the tournament's best player; not the player on the winning team. Diego Forlan won it four years ago for the fourth place Uruguay. Therefore, few will argue against the fact that Rodriguez, the Colombian superstar who should win the best young player award, was the most electrifying character in the entire tournament.

His technique, his goals and his leadership were out of this world for the five games that Colombia survived through. Even in the loss against Brazil, Rodriguez battled on despite getting hacked repeatedly by Brazil's defense. He created a number of opportunities and scored the consolation penalty goal that gave his country some hope. If anyone defined this World Cup, it was Colombia's talisman. He should win the Golden Ball (and maybe end up with the Golden Boot) for scoring in every single game (no one else achieved this feat) and being the most dominant and exciting player of the tournament.

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