Barcelona's Champions League triumph back in May looks to have secured one of their superstars the Ballon d'Or this year.
Premier League trio up for Ballon d'Or
While Lionel Messi looks to be favourite, it could be one of the Catalan's less celebrated stars who wins the award.
Messi provides the vast majority of the flair at Camp Nou and now, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the line, he has the potentially perfect foil.
However, it is Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta who are the engine room of the Catalan side and both have put forward a strong case to win the prestigious award.
Both also helped Spain to becoming European Champions in 2008, and have built up an almost telepathic partnership over the eight years they have been playing together.
In the build up to the Champions League final 2008/09, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were hyped as the two players to watch.
Both are skilful and able to create match-winning opportunities but Barca's central-midfield partnership drew the post-match accolades.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson commented: "Lionel Messi wasn't the problem. Xavi and Iniesta kept the ball all night and made it difficult for us."
Wayne Rooney went a step further, claiming: "Iniesta is the best player in the world in my opinion."
UEFA's Technical Study Group made Xavi man of the match, with member Roy Hodgson stating "he epitomised the outstanding Barcelona midfield performance.
"There were a lot of other candidates but Xavi was the midfield motor, ran the match and dictated the tempo," the Fulham boss continued.
This is high praise indeed for both Xavi and Iniesta who rarely surrender possession and keep Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas out of their national side which is no mean feat.
Xavi himself is a Catalan and has made over 300 appearances for his boyhood club. Iniesta joined Barca from Albacete at the age of 12 and has almost reached the 200 appearance milestone.
They have become the cornerstone of the midfield for club and country and have proved to be indispensible for both over the last decade or so.
Xavi, Iniesta and Messi are joined on the shortlist by current team mate Ibrahimovic and former team mate Samuel Eto'o, who now plies his trade in Italy for Internazionale.
Premier League trio Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Didier Drogba also put up strong cases for the award.
Current World and European Footballer of the Year Ronaldo and Real Madrid team mate Kaka round off the nominees.
It is a tough call but Xavi's near-flawless performance in the Champions League final edges out Iniesta for me. You can vote for your choice in our latest poll.
- by David Brenchley
Source: DSG
