Best of 2013: Top 5 Barcelona players

1. Lionel Messi –

Cristiano Ronaldo might have got the better of him in the calendar year 2013, but that does not take away the fact that he is the greatest player to have ever played the game.

The 4-time Ballon d’Or winner had an underachieving last season with his Barcelona team, but individually, he yet again managed to pop out a few eyeballs. He scored 46 goals in La Liga last time around and won the golden boot despite the hamstring injury he sustained towards the end of the season, which prevented him from breaking his own record of 50 goals.

Lionel Messi is a technical maestro of the game. Everything he does is poetically perfect. Be it his deft touch of the ball or his remarkable robustness, the 26-year-old makes sure he does it perfectly. His left foot is no less than a magic wand; he gave dribbling a new standard; he chips the balls ever-so-profoundly and never fails.

Whenever he gets the ball, there is this air expectation and inevitability that surrounds the atmosphere. His precisely crafted runs, uncanny vision and sublime finish only get you one thing – a plethora of goals.

He might have been outplayed by the ever-so-zestful Cristiano Ronaldo this year, but the month-long injury has been one of the reasons that kept the Argentinean captain statistically so far away from his fellow Ballon d’Or nominee.

New Year will hopefully bring him better fortune. But does the footballing ‘messiah’ need fortune? You decide.

Diclaimer: The list and views expressed in the article are that of the author and the author’s alone and does not necessarily reflect those of the website.