Lionel Messi has always been the world's greatest player since 2009 when he won his first Ballon d'Or. This year he looks to make it four in a row and his year has indicated that this is certainly possible. If he wins the award, he becomes the first player in history to earn the award and questions about whether he is best player ever will certainly heat up.
A profile of his 2012 makes a tremendous case for him to win. He has scored 76 goals in 2012 and has cemented himself as the holder of the second most goals in a single season. With another 10, he breaks that record. In 11 Spanish matches he has 15 goals and four assists and has led Barca to a record of 10 wins and one draw. He also has three goals and two assists in four UCL matches in 201-13, but had a dominating 14 goals and five assists in the 2011-12 edition including eight in 2012. Among those eight were five scored in one match against Leverkusen, an all-time record. He led Barca to a Copa Del Rey Championship, which is his only tournament win of the 2011-12.
For Argentina he has scored an astounding seven goals in World Cup Qualifiers and another seven in Friendlies.
The only thing working against Messi is the lack of trophies he has accumulated in 2012. This is exacerbated when one realizes that he was held scoreless in the critical two games of the UCL semi-final against Chelsea and failed to come up big in the clutch when rival Cristiano Ronaldo was able to. The fact that Ronaldo won the Spanish League is huge and could be a major determining factor.
Biggest Moment of the Year: It may not have happened yet if Messi manages to score 10 more goals before the year ends, but scoring number 76 and topping Pele's record is a major feat.
Chances of Top Three Placement: There is no doubt that he is either first or second in the running. The question should, is there chance he might lose?