For a Madrid based sports paper, and one that is seen as putting Real Madrid ahead of other teams, the result is kind of surprising.
Following the disclosure of the short-list of the five players nominated for this year’s FIFA World Player, Marca organised an online survey among its readers and the result is pretty clear; the three Barcelona players are way better than Real Madrid’s two candidates.
Nevertheless, being a Spanish-language paper, it is no wonder that Xavi Hernandez, for everything that he has achieved with Barcelona and Spain, was polled ahead of Argentine’s Messi.
What’s amazing is that, after a total of about 37,500 votes so far, even Andres Iniesta is polled better than the best Real Madrid player, Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.
It can also be assumed that almost everyone, including fans of Barcelona and Real Madrid, do agree that the Brazilian maestro Kaka does not deserve the award, and some, due to his mediocre season with his former club, AC Milan, even question his inclusion in the short-list.
For those wishing to vote can do so here: Marca’s 2009 FIFA World Player survey