Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez revealed the reason why his compatriot Andres Iniesta lost the Ballon d'Or in 2010 to their former teammate at "Barça," Argentine international Lionel Messi. That year, Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta achieved the same accomplishments at the club level, all playing for Barcelona and being key players for the team.
At the international level, Xavi and Iniesta won the 2010 World Cup with the Spanish national team in South Africa, while Argentina, with Messi, was eliminated in the Round of 16. Iniesta was one of Spain's standout players in the 2010 World Cup, scoring the only goal against the Netherlands in the final, granting his country its only title in the global tournament to date.
Many believe that Iniesta was "robbed" in 2010 for not winning the Ballon d'Or, with it being awarded to his teammate Messi as a "favor." In a press conference held on Friday, Xavi addressed the loss he and Iniesta faced to Messi for the Ballon d'Or in 2010, stating: "It's a matter of voting. In 2010, the votes were spread out among several Spanish players... They voted for Iniesta, for me, for David Villa, Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos (which reduced the chances of Spanish players winning)."
Xavi concluded his statement on the matter by saying: "When Messi's victory was announced at that time, I felt it was a fair choice; he is the best football player." Messi won the award in 2010 for the second consecutive year, followed by Iniesta in second place and Xavi in third.
