For second time in a row Messi is the number one

Report by Andrew Hill

Regardless of having a discrete World Cup in South Africa 2010, the Argentinean’s overall performance with Barcelona has been adequate to withhold his crown.

The first edition of the FIFA Ballon d’Or was celebrated in Zurich on Monday, exactly where the Argentinean striker Lionel Messi from Barcelona repeated the two awards that he had won previous year -Ballon d’Or and FIFA Planet Player of the year- in its new fusion edition. The French magazine France Football and the ruler football entity in the globe, FIFA, made the decision to merge their awards for the initial time in background to create this person recognition.

A group composed of 154 journalists along with the 208 coaches as nicely as their respective group captains that symbolize the countries members of the FIFA had the hard mission of choosing the range one player in the planet. Entire world Cup champions Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta exactly where the other two nominees and Spain’s hope of obtaining the award around their club teammate Messi. Unfortunately for the Spaniards their World Cup title wasn’t going to have as a lot incidence as it did in prior editions.

Messi’s 47 goals in 53 video games in all levels of competition during the past 2009-10 season, added to the 28 goals in 26 games of this existing a single had much more impact in the judges selections, and 22,65 percent of the votes reflected it. Behind was left Iniesta with 17,36 % and scorer of the objective that was value Spain’s initial Planet Cup title, and playmaker Xavi with sixteen,48.

The Argentinean has now tied his fellow countryman Alfredo Di Stefano (1957 and 1959) as the only gamers from this country that have won the award in two occasions. Behind has been left Omar Sivori with one in 1961, who completes the pick group of three players from that nationality that have acquired it. If you happen to be questioning why this kind of a legend as Diego Maradona is not aspect of that group is not since of a lack of recognition, but since prior to 1995 the award was only eligible for European gamers, and he didn’t have a double nationality like Di Stefano (Spanish) and Sivori (Italian) did.

With this recognition Messi also joins Johan Cruyff (1973 and 1974), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1980 and 1981) and Marco Van Basten (1988 and 1989) as the only players to have been crowned consecutively with this award.

In other awards Actual Madrid coach Jose Mourinho from Portugal won the election about the Spaniards coaches Vicente del Bosque from the Spanish nationwide staff and Joseph Guardiola from Barcelona with 35,92 % of the votes.

As far as the dream group is worried it had a robust presence from Barcelona players, just like in the podium of the Balon d’Or. Spaniards Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and David Villa joined teammates Xavi, Messi and Iniesta, as well as the also Spaniard but Real Madrid target keeper Iker Casillas. The beginning 11 is finished by Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, Brazilians Maicon and Lucio from Inter, and Dutch Wesley Sneijder from Inter as effectively.

The finest goal was for the Turkish Hamit Altintop, who scored towards Kazajstan on September three the award winner target through the 2012 Euro qualifiers. The fair play award went to the U17 Haiti national group whose nation endured a devastating earthquake on January of 2010.

And final but not least the girls also got their recognitions: Marta from Brazil was voted over Germans Birgit Prinz and Fatmire Bajramaj as the greatest female player in the planet. Their countrywoman and German nationwide team head coach Silvia Neid did run with a better luck and clinch the very best coach award more than the also German Maren Meinert (U20 German nationwide staff coach), and Pia Sundhage (US nationwide team head coach) from Sweeden.

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Andrew Hill is a higher-ranking sports writer, currently writing critiques for the sports activities betting marketplace. Sense free of charge to reprint this write-up in its entirety on your website, producing certain to depart all backlinks in place and do not modify any of the material.