The ‘Flea’ as Lionel Messi is affectionately known in Spain has reached the summit of European soccer and who would bet against the little (only in stature) Argentine to reach the summit of world football later this month.
In a poll that included the 2008 winner, Cristiano Ronaldo and many others, Messi led second placed Ronaldo with over 200 points.
The 22-year-old is blessed with the same masterly ball control even in tight corners and speed to burn either short on long paces has been likened to his hero, Diego Maradona and Diego himself said at one time that Messi is the only player he would pay money to watch. Even the great Amando never won the Ballon d’Or and that is not likely to be the end of the awards.
The French magazine, France Football said Messi was only seven points short of the maximum available from the 96 jurors.
The magazine quoted Messi as saying: “Honestly, I knew that I was among the favourites because Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009.
“But I didn’t expect to win with such a margin. The Golden Ball is very important to me. All the players who won it were great players, and some great players never won it.
“I dedicate it to my family. They were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me.”
At just 22, he already has three La Liga titles, two European Cups and a Spanish cup. The World Cup 2010 could see him eclipse his mentor and coach, Diego Maradona if he can lead Argentina to a third world cup success.
Simply the best
After winning the Champions League final, his coach Josep Guardiola said, “I think he is the best player and we didn’t need to win today to know he is the best.” Enough has been said already.
He made his debut for Argentina in a friendly against Hungary in August 2005, the same opponents Maradona made his debut against as a 16-year-old. Messi though was sent off less than a minute after going on as a substitute, for elbowing a defender who had pulled his shirt.
He led Argentina to the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and came second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year vote behind Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who was then with Manchester United but is now at Real Madrid.
May 2009 - Barcelona win the Champions League final, heading the second goal in a 2-0 victory over Manchester United that sealed his club’s third European Cup title after their triumphs in 1992 and 2006. He scored nine goals in that competition.
In September, Messi signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at Barcelona until 2016 which made him the highest paid player in the world.
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