Lionel Messi is dominating the world player of the year title the way his feet does with the ball. The Argentine forward’s magical left foot has kept the prize in his possession for a fourth consecutive year.Unfortunately, for Cristiano Ronaldo, he can only settle for second and possibly be grateful, it he could, to share the platform with two of the greatest players of our time.I’ll always be grateful for a fact that, I could be able to tell my grand children that I was around in the days of Messi at the top of his game yet his club team mate, Iniesta, was my favourite player the time the two played together in a Barcelona team that dominated world club football.Whoever says they were surprised when Messi was announced as the winner of the 2012 Fifa’s Ballon d’Or for an unprecedented fourth time in a row, they’re living in denial.Despite not winning any significant trophy last season, the Argentine captain still managed to stand out as the most outstanding player in Europe in terms of individual performancesAnd since the award is meant for individual brilliance more than team success, although the two tend to go hand in hand, only haters and Ronaldo’s blinded fans can say Messi didn’t deserve it.On top of leading Barca to Copa del Rey (King’s Cup), Messi broke German striker Gerd Mueller’s 40-year-old record by finding the back of the opposition net not less than 91 times for club and country in the 2012 calendar year. No one will ever break that.In this day of scientific, zonal and all the daft defensive mechanisms teams come sup with to stop the opponents from scoring, it’s not often that you find teams scoring 91 goals a whole season let alone a single player. It looks just outrageous to me and possible to any sensible follower of the beautiful game. You can’t deny the fact that Ronaldo has always been there and about and deserved it as well, for, he won the La Liga title and scored almost a half of Real Madrid’s goals in all competitions. Andres Iniesta, oh, how I love the guy, he typifies a true model for a professional sportsman—not that Messi doesn’t or because Ronaldo some times behaves like a spoilt brat. He won the European Championship with the Spanish national team, and was named player of the tournament, was crowned European player of the year, was key for Barca and therefore, you could reward him but again there was Messi.I’m not a big fan of these debates as they don’t add value to anything I need in professional and private life, but if you judge purely on class, you give Messi the nod ahead of anyone he would compete with after yet another phenomenon season. However, if you choose to want the achievement of the year, you would go for Ronaldo and maybe Iniesta in second because they won the more significant trophies.Nonetheless, the way in which Messi has dominated the beautiful game in recent years is highlighted by a fact that he has successfully made football’s highest individual honour his own possession.And still only 25 years old, and with a contract that keeps him at the Nou Camp until 2018, the little maestro has more potential and talent to add to his exceptional tally of Ballon d’Or honours.As for the race for the next winner it will be decided by whoever has a better second half to the 2012/03 season. By current stand, with Barca on the way to the Spanish championship thanks to 27 league goals from Messi and in the next round of Champions League, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know who the early favourite is.