| OLIVERKAHN | German goalkeeper who won the Golden Ball as the best player in the 2002 World Cup |
| MEGANRAPINOE | She won the Golden Ball earlier this month as the best player in the 2019 Women's World Cup |
| MARYEARPS | England goalkeeper who won the Golden Glove at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup (4,5) |
| ORTEGA | Stefan, German goalkeeper who joined Manchester City FC in 2022 (6) |
| SEAMAN | Name the England goalkeeper caught off guard by Ronaldinho in the 2002 World Cup. (6) |
| PALMER | Who was chosen as the best player of the FIFA Club World Cup which concluded in July 2025? (6) |
| RONALDO | Scorer of both of Brazil's goals in the 2002 World Cup Final (7) |
| KOBE | LeBron said he was "definitely the best player in the NBA" |
| THEGOAT | Nickname for the best player in the history of a sport |
| KAHN | Oliver who won the Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup |
| LIONELMESSI | Argentine soccer star who won the Golden Ball (best player) at the 2022 World Cup: 2 wds. |
| FORLAN | Identify the surname of the player who won the Golden Ball award in the 2010 edition. (6) |
| BONMATI | Aitana, midfielder who won the Golden Ball in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup (7) |
| SALAH | Egyptian-born forward for Premier League club Liverpool and the Egypt national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is the captain of the Egyptian national team. (6) |
| YOKOHAMA | Major Japanese port which was also the venue for the 2002 World Cup final |
| MEGAN | Rapinoe who won both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball in 2019 |
| JAMES | Who won the best player of the tournament award in the Copa America 2024? (5) |
| STEEL | Annual award given to the best player in Super League (3,2,5) |
| MANOF | Annual award given to the best player in Super League (3,2,5) |
| SEOUL | South Korea's 2002 World Cup hopes were finally dashed in the semi-finals by Germany at the stadium in this city (though they had become the first Asian team to reach the final four) |
