The Messi mistake

ionel Messi didn’t expect to win the inaugural FIFA Ballon d’Or award at a gala ceremony held last Monday in Zurich; neither did I. The Argentina forward edged out – or leapfrogged? – Barcelona team mates and fan favourites, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, for the coveted silverware.

He "wasn’t expecting to triumph", the diminutive player said, adding that he wouldn’t be accepting the award if it weren’t for his team mates. "There was so much talk beforehand of Andres Iniesta or Xavi Hernandez winning so I’m as surprised as anyone."

Messi was also winner, last year, of the FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or awards which were merged for the latest award. Whether the 23 year-old deserved the recent accolades is another matter.

Probably the most gifted player of his generation, Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions last season, matching Ronaldo’s previous record total for Barcelona. His successive hat tricks for Barca confounded followers; the one at home to English giants Arsenal in last season’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg particularly outstanding.

He scored all four goals in disabling the Gunners and garnered plaudits from distinguished football personalities worldwide. Acknowledging the mesmeric impact of the emblematic forward, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "Once he’s on the run, Messi is unstoppable. He is the only player who can change direction at such a pace."

Barca boss Pep Guardiola, who handed Messi the 2010 Ballon d’Or, once said he had run out of "adjectives" to describe the best player he had ever seen. Argentina legend Diego Maradona anointed the forward his successor and the Spanish press was similarly taken.

But the cumulative effect of his Barcelona feats in 2010 and a moderate South Africa 2010 World Cup finals appearance, by Messi’s exceptional standards, were matched, and arguably surpassed, by Xavi and Iniesta who propelled the Catalans to the top of La Liga and played prominent roles in Spain’s first annex of the World Cup trophy. Whereas Messi excelled with the sleek midfield pair pulling the strings behind, they soared without him.

If any of the previous awards handed out by FIFA attracted similar sentiment, few would excuse the latest gaffe in an era of improved scientific analysis. Weighed against pre-award clamour for either of the contending Spanish duo, the decision of national team coaches and captains affiliated to FIFA will always baffle.

As with the contentious African Player of the Year awards, the criteria applied by FIFA remain conveniently obscure. But given the world football body’s recent proclivities to officiating and hosting bid controversies, the Messi turn hardly surprises.