Ten years have passed since Lionel Messi won his second Ballon d'Or. That year, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez were also on the podium, but the Argentine winning the award was controversial.
A lot of people thought that it was Iniesta's award to lose, not forgetting he was the scorer of the goal that won Spain their first World Cup, and a lot of people remember 2010 as being the year the Ballon d'Or was stolen.
Even France Football themselves ended up apologising to Iniesta, though it took them eight years to do so.
The 2010 edition was the first after the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player awards merged, and journalists were no longer the only ones to vote, meaning that captains and coaches of national teams all had a say as well.
That season, Jose Mourinho's Inter won the Champions League and the World Cup in South Africa was won by Spain. Historically, the best player of the World champions wins the Ballon d'Or, with the best example of that being Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
On top of the World Cup win, Iniesta had a successful season at Barcelona, winning LaLiga Santander and losing to Inter in the Champions League semi-finals.
Iniesta vs Wesley Sneijder
The only rival Iniesta could have had was Wesley Sneijder. The Dutchman, formerly of Real Madrid, was key to Inter's treble winning season and to the Netherlands side who came up short in the World Cup final against Spain.
FIFA's 'intervention' in the award ended up seeing Messi proclaimed the world's best player, despite Diego Maradona's Argentina losing 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals.
gallasyommy
612
God bless whoever wrote this article. Am a big Messi fan but it would have been fair if Sneijder or Iniesta has won it
the_truth_is_here
396
am the truth speaking and I am impartial cause most of you all especially Messi fans speak without brain and are so blind that they rubbish even thier own teammates for Messi to shine (iniesta,neymar,Suarez) ..so here is the real ballondor winners without controversy 1. 2010- sniedjer, 2nd iniesta, 3rd messi 2. 2013 - ribery, 2nd Ronaldo, 3rd Messi/neuer 3.2018 - Ronaldo, 2nd modric, 3rd griezman 4. 2019 - van djik, 2nd mane/alisson, 3rd Messi ballondor is based on individual performance we all know...the question is at your position you played that season did your performance bring you victory at crucial games? ...the award is controversial and it's clearly given to who is most loved not who deserves it..if it's just based on individual stats as people claim then Henry should have won it not nedved . individual stats matters only when your performance was truly amazing in big games you can't score 100 goals against real betis and do nothing in ucl/ European compititions and win over a midfielder who delivered passes and chances in the big stages of football and won titles ....it totally unreasonable and stupid if you think sniedjer did not by far deserve the award.. joint highest goal scorer in world cup (2 winning goals against Brazil),top assist in ucl (1 goal and assist to eliminate Barca) and a treble .what more should a deep midfielder have to give ?
Lihdmnpty
351
no be new thing FIFA have been uncompromisingly biased.. look at last year, Ciro immobile won European golden boot he is no where in FIFA xi, FIFA best ten ranking, is this a joke? last 2 years according to merit Allison Becker Liverpool best player, Europe's best goalkeeper, South America best goalkeeper, won golden gloves in all competition he participated both club and country and won all those competition except premier league. please do you think he does not deserve FIFA world best and ballon d 'or .FIFA moved him aside no with standing that moved Salah and mane aside how can van dijk be Liverpool best player when forward like Salah and mane were there with golden boot each #Racism# .Let's believe that the ballon d or wasnt for defenders and goalkeeper, Giving the results of 2018. it was said to be given to best player of the world cup, is was not by voting . I would have given it to varane who won world cup and champions league alongside other trophies with Ronaldo and modric and he (varane) was not voted into top 3 best players, remember van dijk was selected among all Liverpool talents. Ronaldo left Madrid (Spain) for Juventus and it (ballon d or)was given to modric #Politics# I observed that once you are in Spain Madrid or Barcelona to be precise you have an upper hand in FIFA awards/votings. 2018 mane/salah was kicked out of FIFA xi being their best season so far by winning every single trophy except premier league hazard was in the FIFA xi having the europa league individual performance Salah/mane had shared golden boot each. 2019 why was van dijk nominated top 3? why would Messi even be given ballon d or? why was Salah and mane not in top 3? 2018 why would modric deserve ballon d or? why wasn't varane top 3? why wasn't it Cristiano Ronaldo?2020 why is Ciro immobile not even in top ten?
shokytech16
348
so Lionel messi , is on his own enjoying his football and life, doesn't care about any awards at all , but then they call his name for 2010 ballon do'r and people start saying he robbed one person or the other ,the reason why messi won the ballon d'or in 2010 was because he was individually brilliant , stats don't show u everything , trophies doesnt mean u are the best that year , people voted for messi because they saw that he was the best. ,they saw he was better than iniesta they saw that he was better than sniejder so they choose to give it to the best and they gave it to messi , it was no where near robbed because u can't say iniesta and sniejder was better than messi when it comes to playing football that year , people like the way messi plays so they voted for him
apex_pavan100
309
dude in 2019 Messi won laliga with a points difference of 14 points over 2nd place Madrid he was top of every forward and midfielder charts yet people think he robbed other players in same year MESSI only lost 2 games one in UCL semis and one Copa final out of 50 games he played he won every individual trophy there is but when he did the same with more goals and playmaking stats in the previous year he's placed 5th place but when CR7 WON against RIBERY people say otherwise coz cr7 is top scorer more goals etc. if CR7 didn't win it's corrupted..of course, if you play for real or Barca u have edge over others but at the same time their stats are untouchable..that's why they won it if its fair MESSI should win till he plays coz if you watch the game you should understand you can say he's eliminated from UCL from 5yrs yes he was but he plays football at the highest level like nobody can replicate it if you watch game how players try to get away from one on one but not for Messi he can beat anyone one on one anytime any place cause he masterd it he developed his game to a level where people expect him to score 3 goals or 3 assists no one expects from others to do the same of course there is CR7 but he's step below from MESSI even if they play together Messi can outclass him in every department when people say MESSI didn't deserves or robbed someone it's false you are lying to you teeth...
Slow-Kelvin_10
259
Messi had 45 goals in 2013...why r u acting like a clown here??
You're using All Football app. Check Messi and Ronaldo stats in 2012/2013 and bring me the report. Nonsense
juadikmpy
193
what Christiano Ronaldo did in 2013 to win it from Frank Frank Ribery... Madrid didn't win a single cup that year, Madrid lost the king's cup final to Atletico Madrid and Ronaldo received red card in the final.. Frank Rebery won all of the tournament his Baryen Munich team took part in.. 1. German League (MVP) 2. German Cup ( Final Man of the match) 3. Champions league (MVP & Final Man of the match 4. UEFA Super Cup (Final Man of the match) 5. German Super Cup ( Man of the match) 6. FIFA Club World Cup ( Toyota key and MVP) 7. MVP in Champions league 8. Best player in Europe.. ( He beat Messi and Ronaldo) But yet CR7 won the world best that year all becuz he score hat trick against Sweden in the world cup playoff.. This is the biggest rubbery in football history
D10S_LM10
123
I am expecting same article for Ribery.
MusteeDarazo
77
no be new thing FIFA have been uncompromisingly biased.. look at last year, Ciro immobile won European golden boot he is no where in FIFA xi, FIFA best ten ranking, is this a joke? last 2 years according to merit Allison Becker Liverpool best player, Europe's best goalkeeper, South America best goalkeeper, won golden gloves in all competition he participated both club and country and won all those competition except premier league. please do you think he does not deserve FIFA world best and ballon d 'or .FIFA moved him aside no with standing that moved Salah and mane aside how can van dijk be Liverpool best player when forward like Salah and mane were there with golden boot each #Racism# .Let's believe that the ballon d or wasnt for defenders and goalkeeper, Giving the results of 2018. it was said to be given to best player of the world cup, is was not by voting . I would have given it to varane who won world cup and champions league alongside other trophies with Ronaldo and modric and he (varane) was not voted into top 3 best players, remember van dijk was selected among all Liverpool talents. Ronaldo left Madrid (Spain) for Juventus and it (ballon d or)was given to modric #Politics# I observed that once you are in Spain Madrid or Barcelona to be precise you have an upper hand in FIFA awards/votings. 2018 mane/salah was kicked out of FIFA xi being their best season so far by winning every single trophy except premier league hazard was in the FIFA xi having the europa league individual performance Salah/mane had shared golden boot each. 2019 why was van dijk nominated top 3? why would Messi even be given ballon d or? why was Salah and mane not in top 3? 2018 why would modric deserve ballon d or? why wasn't varane top 3? why wasn't it Cristiano Ronaldo?2020 why is Ciro immobile not even in top ten?
Seadog66
9
what Christiano Ronaldo did in 2013 to win it from Frank Frank Ribery... Madrid didn't win a single cup that year, Madrid lost the king's cup final to Atletico Madrid and Ronaldo received red card in the final.. Frank Rebery won all of the tournament his Baryen Munich team took part in.. 1. German League (MVP) 2. German Cup ( Final Man of the match) 3. Champions league (MVP & Final Man of the match 4. UEFA Super Cup (Final Man of the match) 5. German Super Cup ( Man of the match) 6. FIFA Club World Cup ( Toyota key and MVP) 7. MVP in Champions league 8. Best player in Europe.. ( He beat Messi and Ronaldo) But yet CR7 won the world best that year all becuz he score hat trick against Sweden in the world cup playoff.. This is the biggest rubbery in football history
Pathetic we are talking about messy you bellend
Javimor
8
what Christiano Ronaldo did in 2013 to win it from Frank Frank Ribery... Madrid didn't win a single cup that year, Madrid lost the king's cup final to Atletico Madrid and Ronaldo received red card in the final.. Frank Rebery won all of the tournament his Baryen Munich team took part in.. 1. German League (MVP) 2. German Cup ( Final Man of the match) 3. Champions league (MVP & Final Man of the match 4. UEFA Super Cup (Final Man of the match) 5. German Super Cup ( Man of the match) 6. FIFA Club World Cup ( Toyota key and MVP) 7. MVP in Champions league 8. Best player in Europe.. ( He beat Messi and Ronaldo) But yet CR7 won the world best that year all becuz he score hat trick against Sweden in the world cup playoff.. This is the biggest rubbery in football history
Article has no Ronaldo in it why bring him up 🤡