Messi wins second Golden Boot award

BARCELONA: Fresh from hitting his 300th career goal in a weekend swamping of Rayo Vallecano, Barcelona icon Lionel Messi heads a 23-strong shortlist for a fourth FIFA/France Football Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball) award.

Messi - who was presented with his second Golden Boot award in recognition for scoring the most goals in Europe's domestic leagues last season on Monday - is the favourite to land the award again at a presentation on January 7.

National team captains and head coaches plus international media representatives selected by the French magazine will determine who wins the accolade.

A three-man final shortlist will be unveiled on November 29 along with the three-strong shortlists for best coach, best female star and best women's coach.

Messi has scored 73 goals for Barcelona in all competitions this year, leaving him just two short of Pele's 75 for Santos and Brazil in 1959.

He is also closing in fast on Gerd Mueller's all-time calendar year record of 85 for Bayern Munich and West Germany in 1972.

Messi's main rival again appears to be 2008 player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo but Spain keeper and fellow Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas is another strong candidate after his role in Spain's retention of their Euro crown.

Then there are Barcelona's mercurial midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta as well as Brazil's superstar Neymar. Ivory Coast veteran striker Didier Drogba is also on the list after helping Chelsea win the Champions League. Manchester United's Wayne Rooney is the only English player in the list.

Vying with Spain's Vicente del Bosque for the coaching accolade are Roberto Di Matteo of Chelsea; Manchester United's long serving Alex Ferguson; former Barca coach Pep Guardiola; Jupp Heynckes of Bayern Munich; Jurgen Klopp of Borussia Dortmund; Germany's Joachim Loew; Roberto Mancini of Manchester City; Real's Jose Mourinho; and Italian handler Cesare Prandelli.

Meanwhile, 25-year-old Messi received his Golden Boot award, recognising his Spanish league record 50 goals for Barcelona. He edged out fellow Spanish league star Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid by four goals.

Messi dedicated the award to his teammates, with Xavi Hernandez and Carles Puyol present for the ceremony in Barcelona.

"It is a prize for scoring goals, but without my teammates I couldn't have scored them," Messi said. "I share this award with them as I always do.

"I don't fight for individual awards, I fight for titles. My goals are reclaiming the league crown, winning the Copa del Rey and the winning the Champions League again. Those are my goals, team goals."

The Argentina international won his first Golden Boot in 2010 for his 34 goals that helped Barcelona win the league title.

"We won't see another player like him, and if we do, it won't be for a very long time," said Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova. "It's not just for the goals he scores, but for how he sees and understands the game, that is what makes him so great. On Saturday, he ran 50 metres to defend a corner in the 89th minute with a 5-0 lead. Not many players would have done that."

Luis Suarez Miramontes, the former Spain international and 1960 Ballon d'Or winner, presented the award.