By David Gold
December 5 – Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (pictured right) is in line for his third successive FIFA Ballon D’Or award after being confirmed on the final three-man shortlist alongside Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo (centre) and team mate Xavi (left).
It means that La Liga has the three contenders for the prize for the second year in a row, with five of those six nominations have come from Spanish and European champions Barcelona.
Messi’s role in Barcelona’s Champions League success this year, in particular his sparkling display and goal in the final against Manchester United at Wembley in May, makes him the likely recipient of the award.
Golden boot winner Ronaldo will also be hoping to claim his second Ballon D’Or after scoring 40 league goals in the 2010-2011 season and continuing his stunning form this campaign, having already netted 17 goals in La Liga to match the tally set by Argentine superstar Messi.
Xavi has also had another phenomenal year as Barcelona dominated both domestically and abroad, and the midfielder remains arguably the world’s best and most proficient passer of the ball.
If Messi and Ronaldo polarise the voters, the 31-year-old could be well placed to improve on his third place finish in the Ballon D’Or last year.
In the Coach of the Year Award, Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola (pictured) will be favourite to win after being nominated alongside Real Madrid’s José Mourinho and Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson, both of whom suffered as their teams were beaten by the Catalans in the semi-finals and final of the Champions League respectively.
The women’s Ballon D’Or will come down to Brazilian Marta, bidding to win the award for the sixth year in a row, Japan’s Homare Sawa and the USA’s Abby Wambach.
Sawa captained Japan’s World Cup winning team who lifted the trophy in Germany this summer, and she equalised three minutes from the end of extra-time after Wambach had given the USA a 2-1 lead.
The Women’s Coach of the Year award will be between the Japanese coach Norio Sasaki, France’s Bruno Bini and Sweden’s Pia Sundhage.
Ruud Gullit, the winner of the Ballon D’Or in 1987, will preside over the ceremony in Zurich on January 9 at which the award winners will be announced.
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