Sid Low's opinion on the Ballon d'Or award last night

"...And, in fact, Spain – and here it's worth reminding many in this country that there was no candidate called Spain – may have been a victim of its own success, its very nature. Of the fact that its collective nature meant there was not one, single stand-out candidate for everyone to get behind. The vote was split: Messi won with 22.65%, Iniesta had 17.47% and Xavi 16.48%...."

I agree. It is a pity, in a way. The solid group makes difficult to highlight one's performance over the rest. Messi is incredible, no doubt he is the very best player and deserves every award every year until he leaves football. But he has to accept that the only reason why he doesn't play the same when he plays for Argentina is because he hasn't Xavi beside him. Congratulations for the three of them; short, intelligent, talented players.

If you want to practice your reading; http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/jan/11/lionel-messi-xavi-ballon-dor