Barcelona ace Lionel Messi managed to win the Ballon d'Or, despite being snubbed by his former club teammates. Neither AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as Sweden captain, nor Inter's Samuel Eto'o, as Cameroon skipper, voted for the Argentine.
Spain captain Iker Casillas, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, also blanked the Argie.
Casillas' Real teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugal captain, was another to ignore Messi.
Interestingly, if the Ballon d'Or had been decided by the approach of previous years (journalists only), the result would have been very different: the prize going to Wesley Sneijder, followed by Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
Manchester United's England captain Rio Ferdinand voted Wesley Sneijder, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
