Not everyone will agree with that statement, but the pair of
unstoppable players have absolutely controlled the award in recent
memory. Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 2009, Messi won it in 2010 and Messi has won the last two, which were renamed the FIFA Ballon d'Or after being merged with FIFA Player of the Year.
With the young duo headlining this year's list of 23 final nominees, it appears as though one of them will make it five straight years atop the football world.
And it's not difficult to see why.
While Barcelona—which won "only" the Copa del Rey—had a slight down year, its little Argentine was as dominant as ever.
Messi scored a record 14 goals in the UEFA
Champions League to add to his ridiculous tally of 72 across all
matches. In International play, he led Argentina to a goal differential
of 13 and a commanding lead atop the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table. This season, he's off to more of the same.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, led Real Madrid to a La Liga title by scoring 46
goals while taking his squad to the semis of the Champions League. After
a blazing start in 2012, he looks primed to repeat that success. On the
International level, CR7's performance in Euro 2012 should only help in
his quest to win this prestigious award for the second time.
Here's a look at all the nominees (via FIFA.com):
Player | Club | Country |
Sergio Aguero | Manchester City | Argentina |
Xabi Alonso | Real Madrid | Spain |
Mario Balotelli | Manchester City | Italy |
Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | France |
Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | Italy |
Sergio Busquets | Barcelona | Spain |
Iker Casillas | Real Madrid | Spain |
Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Portugal |
Didier Drogba | Shanghai Shenhua | Ivory Coast |
Radamel Falcao | Atletico Madrid | Colombia |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Pari Saint-Germain | Sweden |
Andres Iniesta | Barcelona | Spain |
Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Argentina |
Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | Germany |
Neymar | Santos | Brazil |
Mesut Ozil | Real Madrid | Germany |
Gerard Pique | Barcelona | Spain |
Andrea Pirlo | Juventus | Italy |
Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | Spain |
Wayne Rooney | Manchester United | England |
Yaya Toure | Manchester City | Ivory Coast |
Robin van Persie | Manchester United | Netherlands |
Xavi | Barcelona | Spain |
Three finalists will be named on November 29. It's assumed that Messi and Ronaldo will be two of those names called, but who will be the third?
Radamel Falcao
As the only one able to keep up with Messi and Ronaldo in La Liga, Falcao is quickly establishing himself as one of the best goal scorers in the world.
Throw in dominant performances in the UEFA Europa League final, UEFA Super Cup final and on the international level with Colombia, and it will be hard to deny the 26-year-old as a finalist.
Andres Iniesta
The 2011-12 UEFA
Best Player in Europe Award winner has continued to establish himself
as the engine that makes both Barcelona and Spain go, and it wouldn't be
surprising to see him finally get the respect as the best player in the
world.
He doesn't score goals like certain other players on this list, but there is no denying the jaw-dropping passes and runs that Iniesta makes on a daily basis.
Andrea Pirlo
The veteran won't get a ton of press out of Italy, but it will be difficult for pundits to eliminate him from this list.
Not only did the playmaking Pirlo instantly establish himself as Juventus'
most important player, but he put forth arguably the most impressive
non-Spaniard performance for the Euro 2012 finalists in Poland and
Ukraine.
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