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2009 was yet another fantastic year for triple Young Player of the Year award winner Lionel Messi. The Argentinean, having reached the grand old age of 22, is no longer eligible for our Young Player award, but he has become the second former winner of that accolade to succeed in the overall World Player of the Year category (following in the illustrious footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo). It’s hard to find new superlatives to describe the diminutive attacker, who has just enjoyed the most trophy-laden year of his already distinguished career. He was Barcelona’s talisman and inspiration in a season when they swept the board at club level, winning every competition they entered – the Spanish league and Cup double, the Spanish Super Cup, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and the World Club Cup – making them clear winners of our Team of the Year award. On a personal level, Messi was showered with honours this December including the prestigious Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player award and practically every other individual award going. He was top scorer in the Champions League and registered a mammoth 38 goals in all competitions in the 2008-09 season. Like all true greats he left his mark on the major games, finding the net in the Spanish Cup, Champions League and World Club Cup finals and scoring twice in a 6-2 win away at Real Madrid. His sensational form continued into the 2009-10 season and he had reached 16 goals in all competitions by the time the year drew to a close with Barcelona once again at the top of the table and Argentina safely qualified for the World Cup. All the indications are that this could be the first of many About a Ball World Player awards for perhaps the greatest natural talent of his generation. Messi was streets ahead of the competition in the running for the individual award, and the fact that most of the other contenders also play for Barcelona made them indisputable winners of the team award. Iniesta, Xavi and Eto’o were all in fine form and could have been worthy winners themselves and winning everything aside, the exciting and attractive brand of football displayed by Barca was refreshing and joyful to watch. Long may it continue. The architect behind all this was a manager in his first full season as a first team coach. With only one season in charge of Barcelona B on his CV, Josep Guardiola was handed the reins of the Barcelona team at the start of the 2008-09 season and he hasn’t put a foot wrong. Personnel changes at the start of this season and last were managed smoothly with the team’s slick pass-and-move attacking play maintained and even improved under his stewardship. A year and a half into his reign, he’s only lost a total of seven matches in 88 as manager and has yet to face a serious crisis. Whether he will go on to forge a dynasty remains to be seen, and this season he may face stiffer competition from Real Madrid domestically but the smart money is on a confirmation of his status as the world’s best young manager with plenty more titles in the new year. With Messi out of the reckoning, there was a much more open field for the Young Player of the Year award than in recent times, with no really outstanding candidates. One player who did make the transition from emerging talent to genuine star in 2009 was German attacking midfielder Mesut Özil, who won the German Cup with Werder Bremen (scoring the only goal in the final) and reached the UEFA Cup final before winning the European Under-21 Championship last summer. He also made his breakthrough in the German national team, becoming a squad regular and scoring his first goal. He was instrumental in Germany’s U-21 final victory over England, scoring one goal and creating two more to pick up the man of the match award. A bright future awaits him, along with possible stardom at next summer’s World Cup. There was only one real contender for our Old Player of the Year award in 2009, as a player who turned 36 in November enjoyed a vintage season and collected several individual awards. Ryan Giggs had one of the best years of even his distinguished career, winning the Premier League and League Cup, reaching the Champions League final, being voted PFA Player of the Year and picking up the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. He rolled back the years with a series of outstanding performances for Manchester United both in his traditional left-wing role and his new-found central midfield berth. The electric pace of yesteryear may have faded but the football brain remains and his incisive passing continues to be the key to unlocking many a tight defence. He looks set to play on and grace Premier League pitches for some time to come. Posted by Paul on Sunday, 27th December 2009 (Average rating 10 from 2 votes. Vote) (0 Comments) |