The Ballon d'Or for 2011 goes to...

By Bereng Molapo
Ladybrand, South Africa

Xavi maybe?

This year Lionel Messi, Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been nominated for the prestigious award.

For Cristiano it’s about matching up to Messi, for Xavi it’s about joining the lists of greats while for Messi it’s about making and equaling history.

Messi is on the verge of becoming the first man to win the Ballon d’Or three years in a row and in the process, go into a club of the elite with three titles. Only Zinedine Zidane and of course the legendary Ronaldo have achieved this feat.

For Xavi he just wants the title, having been in this business for more than a decade, it would nice for him to win it... but it doesn’t always work that way, the likes of Ryan Giggs, Stoichkov, Hagi and David Beckham have never won this title and they are some of the best of all time.

Perhaps Cristiano Ronaldo?

Cristiano, who won the title in 2008, wants to checkmate the “Mess Machine” in their battle that has raged on for three years. However, most pundits say that Cristiano cannot match Messi’s big match temperament, especially when it comes to the Grand Clasico, so the most expensive player might have to wait another year.

Each player has a legitimate reason to be nominated for this award; most pundits say that Messi is nothing without Xavi who provides him with the goods – week in, week out. Xavi is a master tactician on the field, he is a leader, a visionary and his honesty deserves recognition. And if Xavi was to retire now, Messi would no longer be the MessMachine – the great player that Messi is, Xavi is the cog.

Messi did win Barcelona the Champions League, scoring that wonderful goal against Manchester United. Messi himself scored an unbelievable 53 goals – including equaling the great Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 13 goals in the Champions League – but he underperformed at the Copa America on home soil, which once again raised the Xavi saga.

Cristiano won Real Madrid the Copa Del Rey and also scored 53, that included 40 in the league, but he underperforms when it comes to facing Barca so Messi always has an edge.

In the end I believe that Messi should win it for 2011, but in 2012 if Messi wins it I’ll stop watching football.

Past Winners

1991: Lothar Matthaus

1992: Marco Van Basten

1993: Roberto Baggio

1994: Romario

1995: George Weah

1996: Ronaldo

1997: Ronaldo

1998: Zinedine Zidane

1999: Rivaldo

2000: Zinedine Zidane

2001: Luis Figo

Or the "Mess Machine"

2002: Ronaldo

2003: Zinedine Zidane

2004: Ronaldinho

2005: Ronaldinho

2006: Fabio Cannavaro

2007: Kaka

2008: Cristiano Ronaldo

2009: Lionel Messi

2010: Lionel Messi