Messi wins the FIFA Ballon d'Or
Barcelona star http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 beat his teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez to win the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or.
The FIFA Ballon d'Or is the combination of European Footballer of the Year prize and the FIFA World Player of the Year gong. This is the first time that both awards have been joined into a single trophy.
As such, the FIFA Ballon d'Or honours the best player in the world today. The prize is awarded based on votes cast by coaches and captains of national teams and journalists from around the world.
Messi, Iniesta and Xavi were the three finalists this year. It was understood that either of Messi’s Spanish compatriots would win the prize following their stellar performances in the World Cup. However, the diminutive Argentinean came out ahead on the
back of his fantastic domestic form in 2010.
While there is no doubting Messi’s greatness, many believed that either Xavi or Iniesta should have won the prize. Both players had an excellent campaign for both club and country last year, ultimately winning the FIFA World Cup with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011. Football legend
Johan Cruyff had earlier tipped Xavi to take the prize, citing his consistency throughout the past year.
However, Lionel Messi has come out ahead of his World Cup winning teammates to earn his place as the best player in the world today. He scored an unprecedented 60 goals for Barcelona and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Argentina-c2841 in the past year and is regarded by many to be the greatest
player of his generation. Argentinean legend http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Diego-Maradona-c11160 went so far as to call Messi his spiritual successor.
At the age of 23, Messi has already become something of a Legend. The Barcelona man now joins an elite group of stars who have won the Ballon d'Or more than once. This list includes the likes of Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, and Ronaldo.
What’s more, the little Argentinean shows no signs of slowing down. Messi started 2011 in the same way he ended 2010, scoring goals seemingly at will.
So what’s next for Messi? The Barcelona star is concentrating on retaining the La Liga trophy this year following tough competition from a new-look Real Madrid side. If Messi can carry this form into the rest of the season, it looks like Barcelona won’t
have too much of a problem in holding on to their crown.
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