Latest update: 11/01/2011 

- Ballon d'Or - football - Lionel Messi


Spaniards snubbed as Messi wins Ballon d'Or award

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Argentina forward Lionel Messi has won the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, which rewards the best football player of the year. Messi defeated Barcelona teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi Fernandez, who were favoured to take the coveted award.

By News Wires (text)
 

AFP - Argentinian Lionel Messi won the Ballon D'Or for the second successive year here on Monday beating his more favoured Barcelona team-mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

The 23-year-old - the first player to win back-to-back awards since Marco van Basten in 1988/89 - had been seen as the outsider after a modest World Cup where he failed to score and Argentina went out in the quarter-finals.

Iniesta and Xavi both had outstanding World Cups with the former scoring the only goal in the 1-0 World Cup final victory over Holland.

This latest edition of the Ballon d'Or saw major changes to the way the title is nominated.

Set up in 1956 by France Football magazine the Ballon d'Or merged with FIFA's world player of the year award for the first time.

The voting committee, up to now made up of only journalists, now includes all the managers and captains of the 208 national sides affiliated to FIFA.

Date created : 10/01/2011 
Comments (9)

Messi is not the right

by Abdullah kamara - 23/01/2011 - 10:18

Messi is not the right candidate i'm very disappointed over the ideal.

The stolen Ballon d'Or and wrong candidates

by Karmoh Kamara - 21/01/2011 - 06:26

The world football governing body (FIFA), hadn't been fair enough to world football fans around the world for their unexpected result which prompted many supporters. If you name Messi,Xavi and Iniesta as the last three(3) candidates than where will you place the Dutch and Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder? For me i refer to this as the stolen Ballon d'Or and the wrong candidates as well.

good job

by fon elvis fru (not verified) - 13/01/2011 - 19:11

Is is a great thing for Leonel Messi to the award...............

salut

by Anonyme (not verified) - 11/01/2011 - 23:48

vraiement il le merite leonel messi il a fait une grande effort lors des competions non seulement il na pa marquer des buts a la coupe du monde 2010 merci

Messi the rightful candidate

by Mclean Ngulu (not verified) - 11/01/2011 - 16:17

There is no player at the moment to compare the skill and agility of Lionel. He honourably deserve the accolade

Ballon dor

by Alexis (not verified) - 11/01/2011 - 12:46

Messi could be a world class player but this award should have been in the hands of either Xavi or Iniesta.Both are classical and outstanding midfield players with Barcelona and Spain respectively.I dont think its fair to vote Messi as Spain was world champion!!!

I am a little bit tired of

by Mikael (not verified) - 11/01/2011 - 11:05

I am a little bit tired of the fact that Barcelona and its players always keep beeing in focus. There so many other talented players and football clubs in the world than barcelona and these three names..

Ballon d'Or

by Citizen Smith - 11/01/2011 - 02:01

Glentoran striker Matty Burrows richly deserved to be in the final 10! Inspite of being a virtual outsider I think his achievement rates higher in my mind than that of bloated world super stars!

We spaniards are not snubbed.

by Esther Lopez (not verified) - 10/01/2011 - 22:26

We spaniards are not snubbed. We'd prefer Iniesta or Xavi to win the Ballon d'Or. Anyway, we cannot win everything I guess... we have to share

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