FIFA Ballon d'Or 2012

After an extraordinary year of football, FIFA opens its doors to present the game’s most prestigious individual award tonight.

The 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or will be bestowed on the game’s player of the year with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi looking to pick up the title for the fourth consecutive year. He faces competition from two other nominees, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta.

The blazers at FIFA have been unveiling shortlists and longlists for the past two months and will present a number of major awards in the televised awards ceremony in Zurich Kongrresshaus tonight.

For the first time, FIFA will present the Women’s Player of the Year award, which will be contested by Brazilian Marta and United States pair Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach.

The women’s coach of the year will be named and there is also the men’s coach of the year award which, like the Balon D’Or, will be mainly contested by the giants from Barcelona and Real Madrid. 

Jose Mourinho will be hoping Madrid’s first title since 2008 will be enough to secure him the big prize but he faces competition from ex-Barca boss Pep Guardiola for his exploits prior to taking his sabbatical.

But the main threat for coach of the year surely comes from Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque who added the European Championship title to his incredible haul of trophies.

It is, however, the Ballon d’Or - once the property of France Football but now very much under FIFA’s control - which takes centre stage as it is the award every player wants to win.

Only three men can pick it up after the original shortlist of 23 was whittled down to the three greatest players in the world. Before they go head-to-head-to-head for the last time, we consider the pros and cons in the race to be crowned winner of the Ballon d’Or.

Lionel Messi

Even by his standards, 2012 was an incredible, record-breaking year for the magician from Argentina, at least individually.

Last season Messi scored 77 goals for club and country - a new record - and he contributed with 27 assists.

Last month, having already notched more goals in a Champions League season than any other player and become Barcelona’s record goalscorer, he took the record for the most goals in a calendar year from Gerd Muller. The German's record of 85 had stood for 40 years but Messi smashed it, finishing 2012 with 91 goals. Incredibly, he has already scored 49 goals this season and added another nine assists.

Barcelona, however, did not hit the dizzying heights that they had set themselves in 2010-11. Before his shock departure, Pep Guardiola only won the Copa del Rey and he surrendered the Spanish title to rivals Real Madrid.

Will Messi do the same tonight?

Cristiano Ronaldo

In any other year, or era, the former Manchester United star would be the man with the golden globe littering his personal trophy cabinet.

And this year, the Portuguese forward’s astonishing return was a major factor in Real Madrid’s La Liga triumph and their run to the Champions League semi-finals - where he scored twice against Bayern Munich.

Ronaldo scored a club record 60 goals in 55 games for Madrid last season and became the first player to score in six consecutive clasicos.

But he had a very quiet European Championship finals and his performances in Portugal’s doomed Euro 2012 campaign could cost him once again.

Andres Iniesta

There is no danger of his summer contribution in Poland and Ukraine being overlooked - the Barcelona midfielder was the main reason behind Spain’s Euros defence.

In fact, Iniesta has already seen off competition from Barca team-mate Messi and Ronaldo to lift UEFA’s best player award last year.

Regarded as the complete midfielder, Iniesta dictates games for club and country and is one of the architects of Messi’s success.

But he is not as flashy or pleasing on the eye as his two main rivals, and his stats don’t stand up to them. Iniesta scored 13 goals and added 26 assists in the last year - a significant contribution for any other player in any other year, but surely it is between Messi and Ronaldo.

How they vote

A 23-man shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d’Or was compiled by the FIFA Football Committee and a group of experts from France Football. It was announced on 29 October. The final prize is awarded based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams, as well as journalists from around the world.

... and finally

As well as men, women and coaches, FIFA will honour the cream of the game tonight.

There is the FIFA Presidential Award, the FIFA Fair Play Award, and the goal of the year in the guise of the FIFA Puskas Award which is voted for by fans on FIFA.com from an original list of the 10 best goals.

The final three will be decided from goals scored by Radamel Falcao, Neymar and Miroslav Stoch.

This year 55 players were also nominated for the FIFA/FIFpro World XI and, as with most of the awards tonight, the final line-up has been decided by journalists from France Football, national coaches and captains and FIFA officials.

The final 11 will be announced position-by-position tonight.

THE HALL OF FAME:

2011 - L Messi
2010 - L Messi
2009 - L Messi
2008 -  C. Ronaldo
2007 -  Kaka
2006 -  F.Cannavaro
2005 -  Ronaldinho
2004 -  A. Shevchenko
2003 -  P. Nedved
2002 -  Ronaldo
2001 -  M.Owen
2000 -  L. Figo
1999 -  Rivaldo
1998 -  Z. Zidane
1997 -  Ronaldo
1996 -  M. Sammer
1995 -  G. Weah
1994 -  H. Stoitchkov
1993 -  R. Baggio

1992 -  M. Van Basten
1991 -  J-P. Papin
1990 -  L. Matthaeus
1989 -  M. Van Basten
1988 -  M. Van Basten
1987 -  R. Gullit
1986 -  I. Belanov
1985 -  M. Platini
1984 -  M. Platini
1983 -  M. Platini
1982 -  P. Rossi
1981 -  Rummenigge
1980 -  Rummenigge
1979 -  K. Keegan
1978 -  K. Keegan
1977 -  A. Simonsen
1976 -  F. Beckenbauer
1975 -  O. Blokhin
1974 -  J. Cruyff

1973 -  J. Cruyff
1972 -  F. Beckenbauer
1971 -  J. Cruyff
1970 -  G. Müller
1969 -  G. Rivera
1968 -  G. Best
1967 -  F. Albert
1966 -  B. Charlton
1965 -  Eusebio
1964 -  D. Law
1963 -  L. Yashin
1962 -  J. Masopust
1961 -  O. Sivori
1960 -  L. Suarez
1959 -  A. Di Stefano
1958 -  R. Kopa
1957 -  A. Di Stefano
1956 -  S. Matthews