Lionel Messi Named Best Player of the Last Year
On Monday, Lionel Messi lifted the FIFA Ballon d’Or trophy, the first of its kind in the history of football. It is a combination of two separate awards, i.e. Ballon d’Or, given by France Football Magazine and FIFA World Player
of the Year. Last year, Lionel Messi was the one who lifted both these trophies and this year he has effectively retained his crown.
This award did come as a surprise for most of the football critics around the world. First of all, there was no Wesley Sneijder in the final shortlist. Sneijder played a pivotal role in winning the treble with his club Inter Milan
and then led his Dutch side to a semi-final finish in the World Cup. However, he was beaten by Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta of the World Cup winning Spanish squad. These two players were in the final shortlist alongside their Barcelona teammate and eventual
winner Messi.
Before this award, Xavi was the main person being tipped to receive the honours in Zurich. He played an important role in Spain’s success in the World Cup as he was the main force in the midfield area. Similarly, Xavi has been
vital for Barcelona in the last year but was only able to pick up a La Liga title. During the year 2010, Xavi came to be recognized as the best midfield player in the world and was being compared to the legends of the game. The Spanish playmaker made a name
for himself because of his exceptional passing and his ability to pull the threads from the centre of the midfield.
Andres Iniesta was also influential in Spanish World Cup success. He practically lifted the crown for his country by scoring in the final against Netherlands. However, he had a big problem which was also pointed out by Jose Mourinho.
Iniesta missed first five months of the year and had nothing before the World Cup. He had been doing well for Barcelona in the current season, which helped him in getting the nomination ahead of Sneijder, but he was not a better candidate than both of his
Barcelona teammates.
The FIFA Ballon d’Or is awarded after taking votes from captains, coaches and journalists of France Football Magazine. This time, these people have chosen the biggest talent of the last year rather than the most successful player.
Lionel Messi only won the Spanish La Liga title and Spanish Super Cup last season, which is nothing as compared to the other two nominations. In the World Cup, Messi was only able to guide his team to the quarter finals, where they lost against Germany by
4-0. The Argentinean failed to score in South Africa and was also unable to find the net in the Semi-Final exit against Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Still, the year that Lionel Messi had was incredible, probably better than any other footballer around the world. In the year 2010, Messi scored 42 goals in 36 games in La Liga, while he added another 12 goals in 12 games in the
Champions League. Throughout the year, Messi had a total number of 60 goals for his country and the club. The Argentinean equalled the club record of 34 goals as well, which was another achievement of the youngster. In the end, he was the most talented player
of the year but his success did not justify the amazing statistics he had last year.
After receiving the award, Messi said that he did not expect to win the award. This was true because the World Cup have had a lot of say in the final decision historically. Nevertheless, it was a great achievement for the youngster,
who has been recognized as one of the greats of the game by getting multiple awards for being the best in the world.