The nomination of three Barcelona players for the first ever FIFA Golden Ball award did come as a surprise to many. The award is an amalgamation of the Golden Ball award instituted by the French newspaper L’Equipe and the FIFA player of the Year trophy, which was introduced in 1991 – often, the same player used to win the two titles; as from this year, we will have just one contest.

The surprise was not that Spanish players Iniesta and Xavi were included in the final three. The two Spanish midfielders were instrumental in the first ever World Cup victory achieved by Spain in South Africa last July, with Iniesta even scoring the winner in the final.

What has baffled many sportsmen is the fact that Dutch player Wesley Sneijder, who led Inter to win the Champions League and domestic title, as well as the Italian Cup, while also taking The Netherlands to the World Cup final, did not make it.

The third player in the final three is Lionel Messi, a gem of a footballer and arguably the best there is around these days. But the Argentinian did not have an excellent World Cup and his only success came with his club. Sneijder achieved much more than him during 2010, but was left out.

This means that for the third time ever in the history of the Golden Ball, first held in 1956, the three top players of the world come from the same club. Barcelona emulate the success achieved on two consecutive occasions by Italian club Milan, who had three players in the top three both in 1988 and 1989 – Van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard in 1988, while Baresi “replaced” Gullit on the podium a year later.

It also means that Barcelona will surely catch up with Milan and Juventus, who head the list of clubs with the best record in the Golden Ball contest. Barcelona players have won the Golden Ball seven times, while the two Italian clubs each have eight victories.

The absence of Sneijder from a place in the top three is a questionable decision. What could have pushed him out of the running was his lack of form in the current season. After having such a splendid first half of the year, the Dutchman’s form has been abysmal since September, and this has also affected the overall performance of his club, already 10 points behind the leaders.

But, on the whole, Sneijder deserved to be in the top three anyway. And it is not only Inter supporters who believe so.