Wesley Sneijder snubbed as Barcelona trio short-listed for FIFA Ballon D’Or
FIFA has revealed the names of three players that have been short-listed for the inaugural FIFA Ballon D’Or award.
FC Barcelona’s magicians Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi make it to the top 3 while FC Internazionale’s treble winning midfielder Wesley Sneijder has been left out from the list.
The Dutch maestro was previously considered to be the hot favourite to scoop the award after he successfully launched his club Inter Milan to European glory in May 2010. Sneijder won the UEFA Champions League, the Italian Seria A, and the Italian Cup with
Inter last season under the management of Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho.
Wesley carried his phenomenal form into the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and played a pivotal role in guiding The Netherlands to the final of the competition. The Dutchman’s new season, however, under manager Rafael Benitez has not been remarkable and
his progress has been hampered by recurring injuries.
There is no surprise on the inclusion of Spanish duo of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta in the short list as both men achieved great success with club and country this year.
The Barca pair was instrumental in their club’s triumph in the Liga BBVA in the 2009/2010. Both players were also at the heart of midfield when Spain clinched the World Cup in July this year. Iniesta, who had a terrific world cup, was the only goal scorer
of the final, played in Soccer City in Johannesburg.
The 3rd man in the list is none other than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi who is also the current holder of the award. The Argentinean had an extraordinary season with the Catalan giants last season that saw him score a staggering 47 times in 53 appearances
for the Blaugrana. This unbelievable scoring record also saw him being named the La Liga Player of the year for 2009/2010 season.
Messi, however, could not impress his fans at the world cup in summer of 2010, and was a lonely figure in the Argentinean national team. Argentina, coached by legendary Diego Maradona, were outclassed in their quarter final clash with European powerhouse
Germany and lost the match 4-0.
With the final three names revealed, football fans from around the world wait for the ceremony to be held in Zurich on 10th January 2011. Odds are favouring the Spanish to win the accolade, as the award has gone to the world cup winning players
in the past. Zinedine Zidane in 1998, Ronaldo in 2002, and Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, have all tasted world glory for their respective nations.
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