When one
hears about football these days, superstars like Lionel Messi will stand out
from the crowd. For the past three
years, former Newell’s Old Boy and current Barcelona phenomenon Lionel Messi has
consecutively claimed the prestigious FIFA Ballon d’Or.
On January 8, 2012, the entire football world stopped
to celebrate Messi’s nomination. Those
who understand the beautiful game are in consensus that in 2011 only one person
was able to outperform the abilities of athletic machine Cristiano Ronaldo (21.6%)
and one of the world’s greatest playmakers, Xavier Hernández i Creus (9.23%). The Argentine received an outstanding
47.88% to take the title.
The Argentine striker has followed in the steps of
Michel Platini, the only other footballer to win the Ballon d’Or three times in
a row, and now enters the history books next to legends Johan Cruyff and Marco
van Basten who have also succeeded three times. After watching the 24 year old star rise to the top, Cruyff
believes that Messi has the potential to claim the award six or seven
times. Looking back at 2011, the
Barcelona striker earned an astonishing 59 goals and 35 assists in 70
appearances and on both club and national teams.
It is a
great honor to have Lionel Messi represent the world of football not only
because of his abilities on the pitch, but also for his life off the
pitch. Lionel Messi is the perfect
example of a top professional athlete; he keeps a clean personal life and helps
those who are in need. In 2007,
the Argentine star established the Leo Messi Foundation— a charity that
supports vulnerable children. On
March 11, 2010, Messi was announced as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF to help
support children’s rights. In
2011, Lionel Messi was part of an inspiring mini documentary where he gave a grain
of happiness to “Soufian, the boy who wanted to fly.”
“It is a huge pleasure and honor to win my third
award,” Claimed Messi during his award speech. “I wanted to share it with those who voted for me, my coach,
and my teammates at Barça and the Argentina national team.” Moreover, I want to share this award especially
with my friend, Xavi. This is the
fourth time that we are together at this ceremony and it is a pleasure for me
to be with him on the pitch. I
hope we can win more things together.”
written by Ferdinand Ferguson
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