NNewew VVisionision SPORT Wednesday, January 9, 2013 39
A combination photograph shows Lionel Messi holding the 2009 (left), 2010, 2011Why and 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or trophies. The Argenti Messi!nian star striker won the award for the fourth year running
ZURICH since Kaka won the award in 2007, an unprecedentedly bad run for a country Lionel Messi, still only 25, was named which once produced industrial quan- FIFA awards the world’s best player for the fourth tities of world class footballers. time in a row on Monday after a year Their only representative on the 2012 FIFA Awards in which finally produced his best 23-man shortlist this time was Santos FIFA Ballon d’Or Award form for Argentina as well as Barce- striker Neymar, who finished 13th with Lionel Messi lona. 0.61 percent of the vote. Messi was handed the FIFA Ballon In terms of major titles, 2012 was Coach of the D’Or award after a typically cheesy relatively poor for Messi as Barcelona Year award ceremony which featured a perfor- won only the King’s Cup They lost out Vicente del Bosque mance from a giant dancing armadillo to Real Madrid in La Liga and their named Fuleco, the mascot for the 2014 Champions League campaign ended Presidential Award World Cup in Brazil. with a semi-final defeat to Chelsea. Franz Beckenbauer Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, winner in 2008, Record breaking tally Fair Play Award finished runner-up behind Messi for Yet, there was no arguing with Uzbekistan the third time and Messi’s Barcelona Messi’s record-breaking total of 91 team mate Andres Iniesta was third. goals in the calendar year while he Best Goal of the For the third time in a row since also overcame his major perceived year Award FIFA’s Player of the Year of the year weakness, his form when playing for Miroslav Stoch merged with France Football’s Ballon his country. d’Or, the podium was shared by three Messi scored 12 goals for Argentina, Team of the Year players based in La Liga. including his first two hat-tricks, as he I. Casillas, D. Alves, put them well on course for a place at G. Pique, S. Ramos and Del Bosque shines the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Marcelo, (defence), X. Spain’s Vicente del Bosque won “We have changed this year, we Alonsi, Xavi and A. Ini- the coach of the year award in a poll haven’t lost any games and, very im- esta (midfield), L. Messi, where FIFA baf- portantly, we have R. Falcao and C. Ronaldo flingly failed to look played very well, (attack) beyond coaches something which based in Europe. before we weren’t Women’s Player of Herve Renard, who doing,” said Messi the Year Award led Zambia to a in a news confer- Abby Wambach poignant and highly ence before the unlikely win at the ceremony. Women’s Coach of African Nations Cup Messi won 41.6 the Year Award one year ago, and per cent of the Pia Sundhage Tite, coach of South votes in the poll American and world conducted among FIFA Ballon d’Or Award club champions Cor- the coaches and (since 2001) inthians, both failed captains of the 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 to make the original world’s national Lionel Messi shortlist of 10 coaches. teams, while Ronaldo managed 23.68 2008 Del Bosque’s two rivals on the percent and Iniesta 10.91. Cristiano Ronaldo night were former Barcelona coach The team of the year was entirely 2007 Pep Guardiola, who is currently on based on La Liga players, featur- Kaka a one-year sabbatical and won only ing Iker Casillas in goal, Dani Alves, 2006 the King’s Cup last season, and Real Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos and Mar- Fabio Cannavaro Madrid’s Jose Mourinho, who won La celo, in defence, Xabi Alonsi, Xavi and 2005 Liga. Andres Iniesta in midfield and Lionel Ronaldinho Brazil’s participation was restricted to Messi, Radamel Falcao and Cristiano 2004 the armadillo, a capoeira dance group Ronaldo in attack Andriy Shevchenko that performed early in the ceremony The best goal of the year was given 2003 and cameo appearances from former to Slovakian forward Miroslav Stoch Pavel Nedved forward Ronaldo and national team (inset) of Fenerbahce while Former 2002 Brazil’s national coach Luiz Scolari and FIFA men’s top coach Del Bosque (top, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who pre- West Germany captain and coach Ronaldo right). German legend Franz Beckenbauer (middle, right) picks the Presiden- sented two awards. Franz Beckenbauer was given the 2001 tial Award from FIFA boss Sepp Blatter while women’s football coach of the The five-times world champions have presidential award for outstanding Michael Owen year Pia Sundhage (below, left) with women’s best player Abby Wambach not had a player in the final three service to football.