ZURICH – The results for Golden Ball 2012 killed any remaining doubt over who is our era’s undisputed emperor of the soccer planet.
FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi won his fourth straight trophy for best player of the year, the first to notch that record for a man whose talent seems to know no limits. This was the voting announced Monday night in Zurich.
1° Lionel Messi 42 %
2° Cristiano Ronaldo 24 %
3° Andres Iniesta 11 %
The only remaining question about the Argentinean nicknamed “La Pulga” (“The Flea”) is whether he has surpassed the legends of the past, including the likes of his countryman Diego Maradona, Brazilian icon Pele and more recent stars like Zinedine Zidane.
Though he still has no World Cups with the Argentine national team, Messi has led Barcelona to three Champions League titles and five Spanish top division crowns.
Here’s the man putting to shame Barcelona’s arch enemy, the Real Madrid:
from GIFSoup
Here are ESPN Spain’s top 10 goals:
