Zurich: Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is targeting an unprecedented fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or award in Zurich on Monday, with the Argentine heavily favoured to reclaim the prize from three-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine braced up for the big night by scoring a hat-trick and another goal from Neymar in a 4-0 victory on Saturday over Granada that put the Catalan football club back on top of the La Liga standings.
Brazil striker Neymar, who plays alongside Messi at Barca, is also in the running to be crowned world player of the year after he was included on the three-man shortlist for the first time.
Messi and Neymar, along with overlooked Uruguay star Luis Suarez, formed a formidable front three that propelled Barca to five trophies in 2015, including a second Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey treble in six seasons.
Messi, who won the award four times in a row from 2009-2012, scored 48 goals for Barca in 2015 as the Catalan giants reclaimed their status as the world’s top club side, easily overcoming South American champions River Plate in the Club World Cup in Japan last month.
Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who unlike coach Luis Enrique will be in Zurich for the ceremony, has little doubt as to who he thinks should win the award.
“If I had to vote, I would vote for Leo Messi of course. He is the best player in the world and I hope he wins it,” Bartomeu told Canal Plus.
Enrique, who is up for coach of the year alongside Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola and Jorge Sampaoli - the mastermind behind Chile’s Copa America triumph - added: “It is the personality that a world number one has. (Messi) is a unique and unrepeatable player.”
By comparison, it was a turbulent season for Ronaldo - world player of the year in 2008, 2013 and 2014 - and Real Madrid as they played second fiddle to their arch rivals despite a contribution of 54 goals in 52 games from their Portuguese talisman.
Neymar may appear an outsider for the award this time, but the 23-year-old Brazilian is emerging as the main threat to end the Messi-Ronaldo Ballon d’Or stranglehold - Kaka in 2007 was the last player other than the dominant duo to claim the prize - after transforming his prodigious talent into 42 goals of his own this past year.
Enrique also insisted that Messi should walk away with another prize in Zurich after being nominated for the best goal of the year for his sensational solo effort in the final of the Copa del Rey against Athletic Bilbao.
Messi’s strike is up against Alessandro Florenzi’s incredible long-range effort against Barcelona for Roma back in September and Brazilian Wendell Lira, but Enrique believes the setting of Messi’s goal in a cup final gives it added value.
“It is more difficult to beat four or five players in a Cup final. The other one is in a Champions League group game and obviously has its merit. Florenzi is a player with a spectacular shot, but for me Messi’s has more merit,” said Enrique.
USA World Cup-winning captain Carli Lloyd, Japan midfielder Aya Miyama and now-retired Germany striker Celia Sasic are in contention for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award.
Meanwhile, Jill Ellis (USA/USA national team), Mark Sampson (Wales/English national team) and Norio Sasaki (Japan/Japanese national team) are the final trio to battle it out for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football award.
The victory over lowly Granada was a respite from Barcelona’s series of matches this month with Espanyol, who held crosstown rival to a 0-0 draw last weekend before succumbing 4-1 in a heated Copa del Rey battle at Camp Nou stadium.
The second leg of that round-of-16 matchup will be played on January 13 at Cornella-El Prat Stadium.
On Saturday, Granada lacked the conviction needed to pose a threat and let the defending La Liga champions freely execute their short passing game from the opening whistle.
Allowing Barcelona to get comfortable at Camp Nou proved disastrous for the visitors, with Messi opening the scoring just seven minutes in after receiving a pass from Turkish midfielder Arda Turan.
Seven minutes later, the host side doubled its lead when Luis Suarez set Messi up just in front of the Granada goal, which net minder Andres Fernandez had left unprotected.
Barcelona had the match well in hand at the break even though the hosts squandered numerous other chances to score over the first 45 minutes.
Granada was more energized offensively in the second half but allowed Messi to score his third goal in the 58th minute on a play set up by Neymar, whose shot at close range deflected off Fernandez and the goalpost and set up his teammate for a routine strike.
Barcelona added one more goal before the final whistle, when Neymar received a pass from Suarez and calmly fired it into the roof of the goal with seven minutes remaining.
