As expected, FIFA announced today that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were among the top three finalists for the coveted Ballon d'Or.
While Andres Iniesta's inclusion as the third player comes to no surprise, it does end a great deal of speculation over a number of other side stories. Among them was whether Andrea Pirlo's phenomenal Euro run would garner him a late career nomination. Another was whether Iker Casillas would have a chance at being the first keeper in decades to make a run at the trophy.
Iniesta was the winner of the European Player of the year award (over Ronaldo and Messi) a few months ago and he was also selected as the MVP for the Euro 2012 season. With Spain's historic year, it was only fitting that at least one of the three nominees was a representative of the country.
Messi remains the frontrunner to win his fourth consecutive Ballon d'or and that feat alone would make for a historic mark. He is currently just four goals away from breaking Gerd Muller's 85 goal year. The only blemish on Messi's phenomenal year is his lack of championships; something that was a major part of his last three years.
Ronaldo did win some championships and a phenomenal run at the 2012 year vaulted him to the status of favorite for the trophy. However, recent drama over his club and his poor play the last few weeks (coupled with Messi's historic run) have dimmed Ronaldo's hopes of breaking his rival's run of consecutive Ballon d'Ors.
As for Iniesta, he is the dark horse candidate and has his own share of personal trophies and a historic championship. He has a slim chance of topping Messi, but second place in the voting (especially since he is beloved around the world by his colleagues) is not out of the question.
The winner will be announced on January 7, 2013.