On January 10, 2011, 13 years ago to the day, Lionel Messi was elected Fifa Ballon d’Or 2010 to everyone’s surprise. The Argentine prodigy was himself surprised to be crowned in front of his Spanish teammates from Barça.
Lionel Messi himself confided that he was “surprised because all the predictions gave Xavi or Iniesta as winners” when receiving the second Ballon d’Or of his career, that of 2010, awarded on January 10, 2011 in Zurich. With 22.65% of the votes, “La Pulga”, then aged 23, was ahead of his FC Barcelona teammates Andrés Iniesta (17.36%) and Xavi Hernandez (16.48%).
The Fifa Ballon d’Or 2010 marks a turning point in the history of this individual award. If there have always been a few surprises since the creation of the trophy by France Football, Messi should never have been crowned in 2010. Certainly, the Argentine left-hander had already become a global idol, with 48 goals in 64 games with the Blaugrana. But it was a World Cup year…
Sneijder 4th!
Xavi and especially Iniesta, sole scorer in the World Cup final in South Africa against the Netherlands, should have been rewarded. Even more scandalous, Wesley Sneijder, playmaker for Inter Milan, winner of the Champions League and Oranje, unfortunate finalists, only finished 4th in the voting. The Dutch midfielder also came first in the journalists’ votes.
In 2010, France Football literally sold its Ballon d’Or to Fifa and the merger with the FIFA World Player of the Year gave a completely different trophy that did not respect tradition in any way. In addition to journalists, national selectors and captains were also contacted, creating a risky election. A charade that lasted six years, with another scandal in 2013 and the election of Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Franck Ribéry.
It’s been 13 years since Leo Messi beat Barça teammates Andrés Iniesta and Xavi to win the Ballon d’Or.
the only time the podium had three players from the same academy.
Barcelona heritage 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/Ggj7eDd787
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 10, 2024
