At the end of each FIFA World Cup final tournament, several awards are presented to the players and teams who have distinguished themselves in various aspects of the game.
At the end of each FIFA World Cup final tournament, several awards are presented to the players and teams who have distinguished themselves in various aspects of the game.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2006 World Cup, the 18th edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, on 9 July 2006, and was contested between Italy and France. The event comprised hosts Germany and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Italy finished first in Group E, with two wins and a draw, after which they defeated Australia in the round of 16, Ukraine in the quarter-final and Germany 2–0, in the semi-final. France finished runner-up of Group G with one win and two draws, before defeating Spain in the round of 16, Brazil in the quarter-final and Portugal 1–0 in the semi-final. The final was witnessed by 69,000 spectators in the stadium, with the referee for the match being Horacio Elizondo from Argentina.
Italy won the World Cup after beating France 5–3 in a penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 draw at the conclusion of extra time. The match was focused mostly on France's Zinedine Zidane and Italy's Marco Materazzi: this was the last match of Zidane's career; they each scored their team's only goal of the game; and they were also involved in an incident in extra time that led to Zidane being sent off for head-butting Materazzi in the chest. The incident was the subject of much analysis following the match. Italy's Andrea Pirlo was named the man of the match, and Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.
The Croatia national football team (Croatian: Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in men's international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competition. The team's colours reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially known as the Vatreni (Blazers) and the Kockasti (Checkered Ones).
Since 2000, the Vatreni have qualified for every major tournament except UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At the World Cup, Croatia has finished second once (2018) and third on two occasions (1998, 2022), securing three World Cup medals. Davor Šuker won the Golden Shoe and the Silver Ball in 1998, while Luka Modrić won the Golden Ball in 2018 and the Bronze Ball in 2022. The team has reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Championship twice (1996, 2008). They finished second in the UEFA Nations League in 2023.
The Poland national football team (Polish: Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej) represents Poland in men's international football competitions since their first match in 1921. It is governed by the Polish Football Association (PZPN), the governing body for football in Poland. They are known by the nicknames "The White-Reds" and "The Eagles", symbolized by their coat of arms featuring a white eagle on a red background. The team reached their peak World Ranking of 5th in 2017. Poland's home ground is the Kazimierz Górski National Stadium in Warsaw.
Poland has competed in nine FIFA World Cups, with their first appearance being in 1938, where they were eliminated by Brazil. The country's best result was third place, which Poland achieved in 1974 and 1982; this era is regarded as the golden era of Polish international football. Individually, Grzegorz Lato won the Golden Shoe at the 1974 FIFA World Cup having scored seven goals. The country's most recent result at the event was reaching round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.