Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are currently the front runners to win the Ballon d'Or. One could make an argument that the race is no longer in contention after Messi's historic goal scoring pace. However, neither of those two are garnering as much attention regarding the coveted prize.
It is Andres Iniesta, the third contestant who is getting a great deal of plaudits and arguments in his favor to take home the Ballon d'Or. And one of his greatest supporters is none other than Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi.
Despite breaking Müller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year this past Sunday, the superstar deflected attention to his own teammate and stated that "I would not mind giving the Ballon d'Or to Andres...He deserves it for how well he and the team are doing."
Former France International Luis Fernandez echoed those sentiments early this week as well when he said that "There is not as much talk about Iniesta as there is about Messi, but I would like him to win the Ballon d'Or. He deserves it for his career with Barcelona and Spain and for his virtues."
The midfielder had a historic year that saw him lead Spain to a historic Euro 2012 championship. Despite scoring no goals in the tournament, Iniesta added a crucial assist in the final match of the group stage. He won three Man of the Match awards and was awarded the MVP of the tournament. A few weeks later he was honored as the European player of the year for his tremendous run in the UEFA Champions League and his play for Barcelona. The other two contestants for that award were none other than Messi and Ronaldo.
He has gotten off to a tremendous start in the 2012-13 season for Barcelona with eight assists through 10 matches. He might not have the flashiness of the other two players or overwhelming stats, but as Messi asserts in his comment, his greatest contribution is that he helps make his team better. And in 2012, those contributions led to a major tournament championship; something that neither Messi or Ronaldo have obtained.