Never said they had a great season but they had a good season all things considered, especially since you bring up the "mediocreness" of Forlan's team as a reason he shouldn't have won over Messi or even be on the list. Trophies(domestic or continental), qualifying for Europe and retaining one's status in the top flight are what a good season make. (League championships are what a great season make). The same Fulham side you deride took out the German champions as well as the league runners-up in Italy. Sneijder is "just a nice setup man"???? Okay sure. And Xavi is also a nice setup man. Those are two of the premier playmakers in world football albeit from different positions with regards to their placement in midfield. Sneijder was the missing piece in an Inter squad that went on to win the treble, hence the reason JMourinho made sure he signed him before the end of the transfer period at the start of that season. Sneijders' impact was immediate. The combination of him and Milito(who also deserved some consideration) was lethal for Inter. To say he "really didn't tear it up THAT much" last season is insulting to anyone that watched him and Inter play last season. I take it you watched them play so I can't believe you would say such a thing. He contributed legitimate goals and setup his striker(s) and other teammates excellently and in the manner which few #10s are able to do well nowadays. Yes he had "OG"s awarded to him in the WC, that doesn't take away from what he brought and provided to the Dutch team he helped lead to the final. Considering he was stuck with a hapless Robin Van Persie up front rather than KJHuntelaar(who despite a poor season appears to be the Oranje's Miroslav Klose), Sneijder in the words of Heidi Klum's associate Tim Gunn, "Made it work". Also, because Real Madrid and AC Milan are beating down a players door doesn't mean much to me because both teams have been known to overvalue and overrate various players. Barca would be a better team to use if they fancied the player. (Granted with JMourinho in charge I figure Madrid will now be more judicious in terms of signing quality players that aren't flash in the pans).
A little late to the party here, but here's my two cents: Although I didn't like the short list featuring nothing buy players from La Liga (I feel Sneijder should have been a finalist; winning the Champions League with Inter and coming within a few minutes of a potential penalty shoot-out in the World Cup Final should have earned him that), I do believe Xavi was the best player in the world this year. Sure, Iniesta scored the game-winning goal in the Final, but Xavi is the player in midfield that dictated the pace for both Barcelona and Spain. He's a Steve Nash-like figure; he facilitates and dictates the flow of play so much that makes everybody around him markedly better. I'm a Diego Forlan fanboy and do believe he should have had some consideration. He carried Uruguay on his back during the World Cup (as much as feet will carry; you can't compete much with Luis Suarez's hands) and also took Atletico to success they hadn't seen in ages. Uruguay was one Giovanni Van Bronckhort Wundergoal away from potentially going to the World Cup Final and Forlan was the spirit of that team. However, Messi is Messi. Despite not scoring in the World Cup, he's the best all-around, transcendental player in the game today. My words don't do his skill justice.
Barcelona is also in for Bale...doesn't get much better than that. Anyway, no I did not spend my sunday AM's watching a grainy standard def feed of Inter score 1 or 2 goals then kick the ball around the back for 50 minutes against Perugia.
1) Iniesta 2) Xavi 3) Sneijder 4) Schweinsteiger 5) Messi Messi should not even be top 3 due to his team's lack of success at the World Cup. And LMAO at SamFisher's obvious lack of a clue. That's like saying Ricky Rubio should be called the world's best player. Bale is a nice talent, but that's it for now. Let's see if (like, e.g., Schweinsteiger) he can lead his team to a national championship, the finals of the Champions League, and the semi-finals of the world cup in the same season. But Iniesta and Xavi topped all that, so they both should be 1 and 2. And Sneijder also topped it, so he should be 3. Iniesta and Xavi ahead of Sneijder by a hair because world cup>champions league.
