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Messi, Ronaldo, Xavi on short list for top award

Comment: 0 December 6th, 2011 by: admin

LIONEL Messi made it last year. Will he lift the coveted trophy again?

The Argentine superstar has only arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona teammate Xavi as challengers for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or award and it looks like he would be on the way again to claiming the honour.

Messi, Portugal ace Ronaldo and classy playmaker Xavi have been named Monday on the final three-man list for the prestigious award which will be presented during a glitzy ceremony in Zurich on January 9.

The 24-year-old Messi bagged the award – a combination of the France Football Ballon d’Or prize and FIFA’s World Player of the Year award last year and in 2009, while Ronaldo won it in 2010.

Xavi was also on the shortlist of last year’s finalists and wound up third, behind another Barca teammate, Andres Iniesta.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke attended the announcement of the three-man shortlist during a press conference at France’s football headquarters in Paris.

Messi will be the top pick again to retain the award mainly because of his key role in leading Barca to the La Liga and Champions League crowns last season.

He connected two goals, including a superb solo effort at Santiago Bernabeu, when Barca defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals, and also joined the scoring parade when the Catalans whipped Manchester United 3-1 in the final at Wembley.

He already scored 200 goals for Barcelona so far as he moves closer to the all-time mark of 235 goals for the club being held by Cesar Rodriguez.

The 26-year-old Ronaldo smashed the record for most goals scored in a La Liga season with 40 goals the last term during which Madrid wound up runners-up to Barca.

His extra-time winner lifted Madrid past Barca in the Copa del Rey final and only recently, he netted his 100^th goal in a Real Madrid jersey.

National team coaches and captains, as well as a panel of football journalists selected by France Football magazine, vote to decide the winner of the award.

Meanwhile, Barca coach Pep Guardiola, Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho and Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson were shortlisted for the Men’s Coach of the Year award.

In the women’s equivalent of the Ballon d’Or, holder Marta of Brazil was nominated together with USA striker Abby Wambach and Japan’s Homare Sawa, the top scorer in the this year’s World Cup in Germany.

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