Recently, Messi was crowned the World Player of the Year. Given the year Barcelona have had and the Argentinean's role in the team, it is well and truly deserved. This award though, made me take a look at the recent history of WPoY.

Here are some interesting facts,

2009 Winner – Messi

Age at the time of winning 22

Club at the time of winning Barcelona

Years at Club before winning WPoY 9

Transfer fee – Peanuts, I guess.

As Barcelona held Kazma for a 1-1 draw in an exhibition match in Kuwait, Lionel Messi was in Zurich collecting his FIFA World Player of the Year Award. The award is voted on by national coaches and team captains. Messi was declared the winner this year by a large margin over last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo (with Manchester United).

FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi was named FIFA's World Player of the Year on Monday at a gala ceremony in Zurich. Messi was the obviously choice after a campaign in which his club won a trio of Spanish and European titles. In the voting, Messi received 1,047 points. Cristiano Ronaldo was second with 352 points, followed by Xavi Hernandez with 196 points.

Hot off of a very successful week with his club, Lionel Messi has been awarded the prestigious Ballor d'Or for being the best player in European football. He is the first Argentinean to win the award and the sixth Barcelona player.

He beat out Ronaldo by a record margin after getting the important win against Real Madrid on Sunday.

• Oh Messiah... there's no need to play pretend here! Tipo's throwing the "Ooh, I didn't know my name would be in here. How Marvelous!" look for the cameras. Kkkk, maybe that's just our imagination. The Barca man has won the European Footballer Award and everyone knows that he'll go on to win the FIFA Wold Player of the Year award.

MLS Cup winners Real Salt Lake will be sending three key players to the operating room today as Javier Morales, Jamison Olave and Fabian Espindola are all set to undergo surgery at the Salt Lake Regional Medical Center to fix knee problems, according to Michael C. Lewis of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Morales, 29, suffered a torn meniscus and strained lateral collateral ligament in a knee-on-knee collision with the Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham early in the first half of last month's MLS Cup final, leaving the Argentinean in tears as he had to be removed from the game.

Lionel Messi wins this years France Football magazines annual awarded to the best footballer of the year and voted on by 96 journalist from across the globe. Messi beat out last years winner Cristiano Ronaldo by a record margin of 240 points.

The 22 year old Messi is the 6th player from Barcelona to win the award and did so after helping his team to win a treble last season.

The Ballon D'Or winner was announced and 2009's number one player was Lionel Messi, Argentinean phenomenon currently playing for Barcelona.
Here is the order of players

1. Lionel Messi - 473 points
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - 233 points
3. Xavi - 170 points
4. Andres Iniesta - 149 points
5. Samuel Eto'o - 75 points
6. Kaka - 58 points
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 50 points
8. Wayne Rooney - 35 points
9. Didier Drogba - 33 points
10. Steven Gerrard - 32 points

Messi is the first Argentinean to win the famed trophy, and he won it by a landslide, last years winner Cristiano Ronaldo had no chance after Messi won the treble with Barcelona last year.

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Almost done with the defense!
Fabio Aurelio (2006-present)
Appearances: 98
Goals: 4
Aurelio's probably the most "talented" player on this list, a tremendous passer and dead ball specialist.

Despite the fact that Javier Mascherano wanted to leave only a few months ago, Rafa Benitez is still trying his best to tie the Argentinean to a long-term contract. What's the point? Why can't Liverpool just let him leave? There seems to be this idea that Mascherano is somehow irreplaceable and integral to Liverpool's success, but in my view, Liverpool could cope perfectly well without him.

Juventus' crash in the Champions League, that is to say the biggest failure in history of their playing in Europe is the result of many things; the club lost its identity in the last few years and the thing that best depicts the big fall are the Brazilians in the team.

It was no coincidence that the players from Brazil avoid coming to one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Manager Rafael Benitez insists Saturday's miserable 2-0 defeat at bottom club Portsmouth hasn't shaken his belief that Liverpool will qualify for next season's Champions League.
Javier Mascherano was sent off as they crashed to a seventh league reverse of the campaign.
Liverpool now find themselves seventh in the Premier League, eight points off fourth placed Aston Villa, ahead of the hectic festive period.