Yes that was a collective effort by Xavi and Iniesta for world cup, but you failed to look at it base on individual performances ,while then Messi, Xavi, Iniesta were in same club and all won the European champions. I do think this award is more focused on individual performances first maybe 70%, and plus the trophy, that is what the player did single handedly.
For instance, scoring goals that won a game ,assists, free kicks and penalties won, creativity, passes a lot more in various compitions , these are things you put into consideration before you judge, not only base on wining the trophy, Therefore my opinion here is that individual performances , Messi was better, just that people easily forgets things and how incredible Lionel Messi were in those days.
Individual performance is not only to score goals. Have you forgotten who Iniesta was in Barcelona team? The engine room and play maker? Messi in some occasions didn't deserve the awards, the officials were corrupt. The person that mentioned Sneijder, Forlan, Xavi, Iniesta forgot to mention the duo in the Bundesliga as of then; Robben and Ribery. Tbh football was not fair to these legends, we owe them apologies.
@Doncaster, Look at my points very well I did not say that only goal scoring was the main job here and literally Messi then was not only a goal scoring player and too I do not discredit the fact that this players were good but in the midst of good people (players), someone is better and which was Messi, I'm talking from the point of being a player not just mere talk. The difference is clear and you can go back to history, maybe try to watch best of these players in those seasons, you could get a clearer picture of what I'm trying to say.
