France captain Zinedine Zidane, sent off for head-butting Marco Materazzi late in Sunday's World Cup final loss to Italy, won the Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player.
The results were released yesterday morning in Berlin by FIFA.
Zidane polled 2,012 points in the vote by journalists covering the tournament, beating Italians Fabio Cannavaro (1,977 points) and Andrea Pirlo (715 points) in the ballot.
Italy coach Marcello Lippi said yesterday that he wanted to remain in his job.
Earlier yesterday, most Italian newspapers, including Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero and La Repubblica, reported that Lippi had announced his intention to step down, however.
"I have never said I will stop. But I have a meeting tomorrow [Tuesday] with the Italian Football Federation, so we will see," Lippi said at the final Italy press conference before the team left Germany to return to a rapturous welcome in Rome.



