Lionel Messi won the 2010 Ballon d’Or, given by the FIFA administration, for a second time after having won in 2010. He was a contender along with Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández.
The Ballon d’Or combined FIFA’s Player of the Year award and France Football magazine’s long-running individual honour for the first time this year.
The merger of the two awards led to an increased voting panel, with selected journalists joining the coaches and captains of national teams who previously chose the FIFA award.
Messi, the winner in 2010, was in stunning form last season for Barcelona.
Xavi was an instrumental member of the Spain side that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, as was Iniesta, who notched the winning goal in the final.
