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#2 Lionel Messi
Despite Barcelona's late collapse last season that saw them claim only the La Liga title, Argentine talisman Lionel Messi still had one of his most impressive campaigns in recent years individually.
Messi finished as the top scorer in the La Liga last season as well as across Europe's top 5 leagues with a whopping 36 goals and 15 assists to his name from 34 appearances. He also finished as the top scorer of the Champions League after finding the back of the net an impressive 12 times while setting up another 3 in 10 appearances in the competition.
The Argentine was in a league of his own throughout the campaign. Judging by individual performances alone, Messi has done enough to be crowned the best player in the world for the sixth time. However, Barca's failure in the Champions League could hurt his chances once again. Nevertheless, he'd be a very worthy winner of the award.
