Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Lionel Messi won his second straight FIFA player of the year award Monday, becoming the first repeat winner since Ronaldinho in 2004 and 2005.
The Argentine forward beat out Barcelona teammates Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta for the renamed FIFA Golden Ball Award, which merged the FIFA player of the year with France Football’s Golden Ball.
Messi received 22.65 percent of the votes cast by national team coaches and captains plus selected reported. Iniesta followed with 17.36 percent and Xavi received 16.48 per cent to finish third for the second straight year. All three finalists were part of Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy.
Eight of the 20 winners of the FIFA award have come from Barcelona, which also won with Brazilians Romario (1994), Ronaldo (1996 and 1997), Rivaldo (1999) and Ronaldinho.
The 23-year-old Messi helped Barcelona retain its Spanish league title. The Blaugrana lead the Spanish standings again this season.
“It’s a very special day for me,” Messi said through a translator.
The 23-year-old forward scored 58 goals for the Catalan club in 2010 but had a disappointing World Cup, where he failed to score for Argentina. Iniesta and Xavi helped Spain win its first World Cup title, with Iniesta scoring the overtime goal in the 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the final.
“I didn’t expect to win it today,” Messi said. “Already it’s a source of happiness to be here with my friends and even more to win it.”
Jose Mourinho was voted FIFA men’s coach of the year after leading Inter Milan to the European Champions League, Serie A and Italian Cup titles.
Mourinho, the self-dubbed “Special One,” beat Spain coach Vicente del Bosque and Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola in the inaugural prize. The Portuguese coach left Inter after the 2009-10 season to become coach of Real Madrid.
Brazilian forward Marta won the FIFA women’s player of the year award for the fifth straight year, beating out Germany’s Birgit Prinz and Kosovo-born Lira Bajramaj. Marta was rewarded for her MVP season with the Gold Pride of the Women’s Professional Soccer league in the United States.
Germany national team coach Silvia Neid won the inaugural women’s coaching award, beating out Maren Meinert of Germany’s world champion under-20 team and U.S. women’s team coach Pia Sundhage.
-AP
