10 years to the day since the Barça Ballon d'Or
10 years have passed by in a flash since the three candidates for the 2010 Ballon d'Or all hailed from FC Barcelona: Leo Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández were lauded on 10 January 2011 in Zurich, Switzerland as the three best players in the world for 2010, three players who had all come up through La Masia at Barça.
The blaugrana trio were named as candidates for the award on 6 December 2010, posing following a training session with the famous prize. Leo Messi's 2010 had included being top scorer in the 2009/10 La Liga season, top league goalscorer in Europe and a La Liga title. Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández were able to add a World Cup winners' medal to their league champions winners' medal after Spain's win in the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
In Zurich the final pecking order for the 2010 award was announced with Messi taking the prize, Iniesta in second place and Xavi in third. Coach Pep Guardiola was also present at the FIFA gala as were Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué and David Villa, who, along with the top trio, brought Barça's representation in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI to six players, making it a truly blaugrana day in Switzerland.
