Forlan wins Golden Ball as World Cup's top player

Diego Forlan, who lifted Uruguay to an unexpected fourth-place finish at the 2010 World Cup, won the Golden Ball as the tournament's top player.

Forlan received 23.4 percent of the media's vote, edging out Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder (21.8) and Spain striker David Villa (16.9) to win the coveted award. He scored five goals in seven games, including three stunning strikes from outside the box.

Germany's Thomas Muller, 20, won the tournament's Best Young Player award and also took home the Golden Boot with five goals scored. Three other players (Villa, Sneijder and Forlan) also scored five times, but Muller's three assists were two better than the nearest competitor. Muller also played in one less game after sitting out Germany's semifinal loss to Spain because of yellow card accumulation.

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas won the Golden Glove award after leading Spain to four straight 1-0 wins to close out the tournament and give his homeland its first World Cup title. Casillas and his stellar crop of defenders didn't allow a goal in the final 433 minutes of play.