Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta Make Ballon D’Or Shortlist An All Barcelona Affair

Perhaps the biggest surprise from the Ballon d’Or shortlist, released by FIFA today, is the omission. Wesley Sneijder, who had been a favorite after his performances with Inter Milan and the Netherlands, is not amongst the final three. Instead, the last men standing are all Blaugrana, further underscoring the love affair the footballing world is having with Barcelona.

Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta the finalists for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or - the new award given to the player chosen as the world’s best footballer. Whereas there had previously been two awards - FIFA Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or - a merger of the two awards sees its first iteration destined for Catalonia.

Messi, who last year won both FIFA’s award and the journalist-voted Ballon d’Or, has scored 57 goals in 50 competitive matches for Barcelona in 2010. For Argentina Messi has been less prolific, scoring twice in 10 matches, though cast in a different role for the Albiceleste during this summer’s World Cup, he was still his country’s best player. Still, Messi’s relative lack of production in South Africa has opened the door for two of that tournament’s stars.

For a small but increasingly vocal contingent in the world, Xavi Hernández - not Lionel Messi - is the world’s best player. Few would argue he is not the world’s best playmaker, as evidenced by his inclusion on this shortlist. Hernández is the player the kings of the club world (Barcelona) and the lords of international football (Spain) have built their squads around. Spain’s upturn in international play directly coincides with Luis Aragones building the team’s style around Xavi, a decision that received its ultimate payoff this summer.

If you want to split the difference between the playmaker and the goal scorer, there’s Andrés Iniesta, who scored the match-winning goal in the World Cup final. Seen as Xavi’s heir apparent for both club and country, Iniesta’s slightly more attacking role has given him his own place in the world’s game. Recognized as one of the world’s elite players, Iniesta’s main problem has been health, an issue that makes him the underdog of the shortlist’s trio.

Amongst those not on the shortlist, Sneijder’s name stands out, though he is not the only player who could be argued as overlooked. David Villa was Spain’s best player for the World Cup’s early rounds, and having carried the mantle of Spain’s best striker from Valencia to Barcelona, his resume looks strong compared to Iniesta. And then there’s Sneijder, who was critical to both Internazionale and the Netherlands’ success.

But few can have qualms with the three that were chosen. With any tough choice, there will be dissension, but it’s hard to muster a major case against the trio selected to the shortlist (a claim to be proven wrong in the comments, I hope).