James Rodriguez hangs on to win Golden Boot prize

Despite having his team eliminated in the quarter-finals, Colombia's James Rodriguez still won the Golden Boot as the top scorer at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Rodriguez tallied six times in five matches.

Colombia had its best run ever at the World Cup, losing to Brazil 2-1 in the quarter-finals. Rodriguez was a key reason for his team's success, shouldering the goal-scoring load after star Radamel Falcao was injured before the tournament.

Germany's Thomas Müller finished second in the Golden Boot race with five goals, the same total he had when he won the award in 2010.  

Neuer takes Golden Glove

German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who posted a clean sheet in the final, earned the Golden Glove award as the top keeper. 

Neuer's role in Germany's triumph extended far beyond his superb shot-stopping abilities. Known as the sweeper keeper, he put himself on a collision course with opposition strikers but he never backed out of a challenge.

"It's not about me and whether or not I risk my neck for the team," Neuer said. "The team did a super job, everything was great, the team behind the team.

"We're going to celebrate for at least five weeks now. At some point we'll stop celebrating but we'll always keep waking up with a smile."

France's Pogba named top youngster

France midfielder Paul Pogba took the honours as the World Cup's top young player. The 21-year-old scored a crucial goal in France's Round of 16 win over Nigeria and posted an impressive 80 per cent pass completion rate. 

To be eligible for the top young player award, players had to be born after Jan. 1, 1993.