Golden Ball Ceremony 2013 Live Free Stream

Golden Ball Ceremony 2013 Live Free Stream

Barcelona star Messi remains favorite to win the “Golden Ball” tonight

Lionel Messi is the bookmakers’ favourite to win tonight’s 2012 Ballon d’Or award ahead of his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta.

Regarded as the most prestigious individual award in world football, the FIFA Ballon d’Or was created by France Football Magazine to honour the best European player of the previous calendar year and in 2010 was merged with FIFA’s World Player of the Year award.

The award, which is voted for by journalists, national team coaches and captains, recognises the best players in world football, and Messi has come top of the pile for the last three years in a row. A fourth straight title would lift Messi above FIFA World Player of the Year three-time winners Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo of Brazil. Since the original Ballon d’Or was launched in 1956 as a European award, Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten also earned a hat trick of titles

During the year of 2012, Lionel Messi Gerd Müller’s 40-year-old record last month for the most goals in a calendar year, with 91 in all competitions. But he believes the form of his team-mate Iniesta, who finished behind him in 2010, warrants the award.

Gerd Muller led the long line of tributes to the mercurial talent after his brace against Real Betis broke his record.
“My record stood for 40 years – 85 goals in 60 games,” he said. “And now the best player in the world has broken it. He is an incredible player, gigantic.”

Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola also praised the 25-year-old. “Like Michael Jordan in basketball, Messi is dominating his sport,” Guardiola said. “Very few people in history have managed to dominate their sport the way Jordan and Messi have.

“I feel sorry for those who want to compete for Messi’s throne – it’s impossible, this kid is unique.”

Odds-on favourite Messi, however, faces stiff competition from Real Madrid star Ronaldo, whose 46 league goals last season helped fire Los Blancos to their 32nd La Liga title. Ronaldo also scored three of Portugal’s six goals at last summer’s European championship as they reached the semi-finals before being beaten by Spain on penalties.

Andres Iniesta completes the list of men who could win the award and his performances for Barcelona and especially for Spain during Euro 2012 means he can beat both Ronaldo and Messi to the award. Iniesta finished behind his team-mate Messi in 2010 and is looking to become the first Spaniard to win the “Golden Ball” since Luis Suarez in 1960

Ballon d’Or 2012: What the nominees say:

Lionel Messi: “It’s nice to beat records but the win for the team is what is important. If Iniesta wins, it will be well-deserved for all that he has done, for the way he plays. Again, it will also be a prize for the dressing room.”

Cristiano Ronaldo: “If I win, perfect. If I don’t, never mind, life goes on. But obviously I’d love to win. I’m not going to lie or be hypocritical. Fair or unfair, the decision will be what it will be. I’ll maybe be very happy or maybe very sad. But that’s life. I can’t live according to an individual prize.”

Andrés Iniesta: “The Ballon d’Or? This is something that I do not decide. The only thing that I am worried about is to play well and make the fans happy. I am not competing against anyone. I would give it to Messi.”