Lionel Messi Wins Fifa World Player of the Year
Argentina and Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has been named Fifa World Footballer of the Year, following his top European player award earlier this month.
The 22-year-old became the first Argentine to win the award since its inauguration in 1991 when Fifa president Sepp Blatter handed over the trophy.
After beating Cristiano Ronaldo to the Ballon D’Or, he comfortably beat last year’s winner to the World title, with 1,073 votes to the Real Madrid star’s 352 – in a vote by captains and head coaches of women’s and men’s national teams.
Messi also saw off competition from Kaka (190 votes) and Barca team mates Xavi (196 votes) and Andres Iniesta (134 votes).
The award caps a stellar year for Messi, whose club side Barcelona scooped a scarcely-conceivable six trophies with the diminutive forward’s aid.
Barca finished La Liga and Spanish Cup champions and defeated Manchester United 2-0 with Messi heading the second in Rome to bring home the Champions League trophy.
The Catalan side then added the European Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and Club World Cup as they came from behind to beat Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi through Messi’s 110th minute winner.
At the glittering Fifa ceremony, Ronaldo also won the Fifa Puskas award for the best goal of the year for his 40-yard strike for Manchester United against FC Porto in the Champions League quarter finals in April.
World Team of the Year
The ceremony at the Zurich Kongresshaus also featured the naming of the FifPro team of the year: Iker Casillas, Dani Alves, Patrice Evra, John Terry, Nemanja Vidic; Xavi, Iniesta, Steven Gerrard, Ronaldo, Messi and Fernando Torres.
While there’s no doubting Messi’s pedigree, we at the Dailydust were wondering how there’s no place for Kaka in the World team of 2009?
When Barca (evidently the World’s best team) regularly line up 4-3-3, with Xavi and Iniesta in midfield, why is the FifPro team playing 4-4-2?
Let us know your thoughts in the Comment box below.
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