While not quite as favored as the two men he was up against, Barcelona player Andres Iniesta took home the award as the best player on the continent.
Voted on by journalists from each of the UEFA's member nations, the 28-year-old midfielder beat out superstars Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the Best Player in Europe award.
"Without my team-mates at the Spanish national team and Barcelona I wouldn't have won this individual trophy," said Iniesta according to ESPN.com.
While many fans and players think Messi is the best soccer player in the world, Iniesta has had quite a year himself. He won the Euro 2012 tournament with Spain, in which he was named player of the tournament. Iniesta also broke Emilio Butragueno's record of consecutive La Liga matches without defeat, although the streak ended in game 56 against Ronaldo's team Real Madrid.
Iniesta received 19 votes for first place, while Messi and Ronaldo each got 17. Two years ago in the 2010 World Cup final, Iniesta scored the extra time game-winning goal for Spain.
The Spanish national team won the Euro 2008 tournament, the 2010 World Cup as well as the 2012 Euro tournament. They are the first national team in history to win the three major tournaments consecutively.
Messi had a phenomenal year with 73 goals, while Ronaldo had a 60 goal campaign.
Last year Messi was named the best player in Europe while Ronaldo finished in third place.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
