And the winner is..............
Yes I know I'm biased, not because my daughter is a Barcelona supporter, because I think he's the best player the world has seen since Diego Maradona but I was pleased that Lionel Messi won this years Ballon d'Or. He's contributed to a team that won every competition it could and he did so through scoring a record number of goals away from home and being part of a three man forward line that scored over one hundred goals between them.
Football is about the team but once in while a player comes along who lifts you out of your seat, not once a season, not once a month, this little guy often does it more than once in a half. As a show of how well Barcelona did last season Messi is joined in the Top 10 by the other two gigantic dwarf's: Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta and Samuel Eto'o. The fact that Messi polled 473 points out of a possible 480 and beat second place Cristiano Ronaldo by a stonking 240 points recognises a player who shouldn't even be close to the peak of his powers, he is after all only twenty two, for another four or five years.
Here are a selection of his goals from last seasons Champions League
3 comments:
I agree...funnily enough Iniesta had a programme broadcast yesterday when people were calling in in support after Cristiano had called him a diver (oh the irony) albeit half true...I have noticed that when players get good and a good reputation they seem to think it makes them immune from being tackled because every time they lose the ball they want or expect a freekick to be given.
I'll never forget the goal he scored against Man U in the Champions League final last season. I didn't think he'd get anywhere near that cross. I don't know who was more surprised, me or van der Saar!
Funny you should mention that Span because about 30 years ago I played with a Portuguese lad called Serge who whenever he was tackled would sulk. Very good players sometimes go like this as you say. The flip side is watching a clip of Messi in the Champions League final where he gets fouled by two players and gets up with the ball, only for the ref to whistle for the foul.
Neither will I Shy, I have a photograph of it in my office at home. Van De Saar's face is brilliant, his big eyes and mouth open wide.
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