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With the Ballon d'Or award for Footballer of the Year fast
approaching, the time has come to ask just who should be the worthy
recipient.
Will last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo regain the Golden Ball,
or will it fall to hot favourite Lionel Messi?
We asked Goal.com's worldwide editors who they
think should be awarded with the grand prize...
~~~
"Lionel Messi. Finally the little Argentine has
overcome both injuries and high expectations to excel for Barcelona
and score in the Champions League final. On his day he's the
world's best, and a true difference-maker. His Argentina form is
mixed, but they're still the luckiest country on earth to have
him."
--Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com International
"Lionel Messi. At this time, no player is as
strong as Messi. He won the Champions League, has helped Argentina
to go to the World Cup and is the soul of Barcelona. Messi is the
best player and it would be a scandal if he didn't win the trophy
... There are no alternatives ...This is his year!!!
--Fabrizio Ponciroli, Goal.com Italy
"Lionel Messi. Incredible player, had a
fantastic year with Barcelona, winning the treble and scoring a
goal in the Champions League final, need we say more?"
--Tommy van Eldik, Goal.com Netherlands
"Xavi. I back the midfielder, although I think
that Lionel Messi will be the winner because all of these prizes
are championship and reputation based. For me, I see Xavi as the
main reason for Barcelona's success, not Messi. So if it was down
to me, I would select the best passer in the world: Xavi."
--Mohammed Awaad, Goal.com Arabic
"Lionel Messi. He maintained his fitness, scored a
boat-load of goals (including many with his right foot), saved
games under pressure and was central in his side winning everything
on offer - all the things he had failed to do before, in addition
to his already mesmeric natural talent. And so not even a
shambolic, underachieving national team can deny him the honour of
being the year's greatest player. Topping this will be the
problem."
--Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com UK
"Xavi. There's no chance that someone from outside
Baracelona deserves this title more. The Catalans won every single
competition they played in and did that with an impressive display
of attacking football. The big question, though, is who deserves
the top honours for this success? The 'brain' of the team, Lionel
Messi, or the 'lungs', Xavi Hernandez? I'd go for the latter,
Xavi, because he also lead Spain to finally win a
major competition the previous summer and I don't think he can
repeat such a grandiose season, while I'm sure that Messi will be
among the serious competitors for the Ballon d'Or for many years to
come."
--Michael Paterakis, Goal.com Greece
"Lionel Messi. He has delivered in the big games,
especially against Madrid, Bayern and Manchester United. When
Ronaldo won the award, he had 42 goals with eight assists to his
name in the 2007-08 season. Last season, Messi scored 42 and had 18
assists. That says it all, doesn't it?"
--Rahul Bali, Goal.com India
"Andres Iniesta. Even if Messi is the favourite of
the bookmakers, he did not show the consistency of Andre Iniesta.
The man is the true leader of Barca, he is the engine of the team,
the man who makes the team play better. Without him, Barcelona are
not the same team. He is capable of scoring in big matches (like he
did against Chelsea) and he showed tremendous leadership, something
that is not the main characteristic of Messi. I would like Iniesta
to lift the Ballon d'Or, as he is the perfect mix of beauty and
efficiency."
--Alexandre Walraevens, Goal.com France
"Lionel Messi. The humble, yet supremely talented
Barcelona star has done all that he can to ensure this year's award
and he genuinely deserves to have the trophy on his mantle piece
after a truly exceptional year. Quite simply, he put his hand up as
one of the leaders of a squad full of incredibly good players. He
has scored loads of goals and the titles he won with Barca last
season are an indication that he has a great hunger to succeed. We
may see him on the podium for many years to come."
--Peter Pedroncelli, Goal.com Africa
"Andres Iniesta. These kind of prizes are without
memory. They are always given to goalscorer, but Messi only scores
because there is a midfield behind him that allows him to do so.
And in that midfield, there is a phenomenon called Iniesta, the
most undervalued player on the planet. I need to remind everybody
that without Iniesta's golden goal against Chelsea,
Barcelona would not be European Champions..."
--Sergio Stanco, Goal.com Italy
"Lionel Messi. I want to think of a more deserving
candidate but Messi is the best. I think that Xavi and Iniesta
represent the wonderful football Barcelona play. But the whole
world will vote for Messi..."
--Takashi Sugiyama, Goal.com Japan
"Lionel Messi. He deserves this award. It is true
that Xavi and Iniesta have also played key roles in Barcelona's
success but both need Messi to win the big matches. The Argentinean
scored big goals in big games and, of course, set up a great number
too. And even when he didn't score or create, he entertained
football fans around the world with his unrivalled individual
abilities. This year could be the first of many Ballon d' Ors for
him."
--Amoy Ghoshal, Goal.com India
"Lionel Messi. He played as the key role in
Barcelona 'new dream team' and helped the Catalan club to lift the
treble. The whole of 2009 was a fight between Cristiano Ronaldo and
Lionel Messi, and we got the final answer as to who was the best at
the Champions League final in Rome. Although he suffered a lot of
pressure with Albicelestes, they booked their ticket to WC 2010
finally and now we can look forward to him lighting up the
tournament."
--Tony Mutong, Goal.com Hong Kong
"Lionel Messi. As hard as it is to look beyond the
Barcelona poster-boy, Messi, for the top spot in the running, it
would be a travesty if Xavi and Andres Iniesta failed to garner the
second and third spots. The duo were integral to Barcelona's
fortunes throughout 2009, and provided many a goal for Messrs
Henry, Eto'o, Ibrahimovic and indeed, Messi himself. I am not
expecting the judges to select anyone else besides Messi but it
would be a victory for artistry, subtlety and craft if the Spanish
midfield duo were recognised for their efforts in a poll that
usually favours forwards."
--Peter Staunton, Goal.com International