6 December 2010 - Just Another Step In Their Plan For World Domination

On 6 December 2010, FIFA and France Football magazine announced the three finalists for the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or. And all three were from FC Barcelona.

The award was a combination of France Football's Ballon d'Or, started in 1956, and FIFA's World Player of the Year award, which began in 1991. In 2010, the two organizations agreed to merge their awards, calling the new honor the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

They announced their shortlist of 23 players on 27 October, then culled the list to the top three vote-getters on 6 December. The three were Barcelona's Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Lionel Messi, who had won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2009. Although Barcelona had won La Liga in 2010, the inclusion of Xavi and Iniesta was due in part to their World Cup-winning run with Spain the previous summer. But Messi went on to win the award when it was announced in January 2011.

It was not the first time that a single club took the top three spots in Ballon d'Or voting: AC Milan did it in 1988, when Marco van Basten beat out Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, then again in 1989, when van Basten won it again, that time over Rijkaard and Franco Baresi.

14 October 1992 - Van Basten's International Farewel

On 14 October 1992, Dutch captain Marco van Basten made his last appearance for the national team in a World Cup qualifier against Poland. A persistent ankle injury ended his career shortly afterward.

The match was only his 58th cap and came just over two weeks before his 28th birthday. Just four years earlier, he had starred for the Oranje in the European Championship, scoring a tournament-best five goals--including a hat-trick against England--as the Netherlands took the trophy. A disappointing early World Cup exit followed in 1990, however, with van Basten failing to find the net (the team scored only three goals in the tournament).

In 1991-92, van Basten finished the season with AC Milan as Serie A's top scorer and won a handful of individual awards, including the European Footballer of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year. But he missed a critical penalty in the Netherlands' Euro 1992 semifinal against Denmark and the Dutch went out 2-2 (4-5).

Van Basten hoped to turn the tide in the 1994 World Cup and captained the Netherlands for the start of their qualification campaign. But after only two matches, a 2-1 loss to Norway and the 2-2 draw with Poland, he missed the team's next two matches. Then, in May 1993, he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to sit out the entire 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons and the 1994 World Cup. The injury never fully healed and forced his early retirement in 1995.

Although he never played for Holland again, he did return to the team in 2004 as manager and spent four years in the role.

31 October 1964 - Birth Of The Dutch Master

On 31 October 1964, World Player of the Year and three-time European Footballer of the Year Marco van Basten was born in Utrecht.

In 1981, the then-16-year old striker signed with Ajax in 1981. He made his first appearance for the senior side in April 1982, scoring a goal on his debut. He secured a starting position for the 1983-84 season and became the Eredivisie's top scorer that year with 28 goals in 26 league appearances. He remained the league's top scorer for the next three seasons.

While at Ajax, the club won three league titles (1981-82, 1982-83, 1984-85), three Dutch Cups (1983, 1986, 1987), and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1987).

In 1987, Van Basten transferred to Milan. An ankle injury limited his playing time to 11 matches in that first season, but Milan won the Scudetto. Internationally, he led the Netherlands to the 1988 UEFA European Championship as the tournament's top scorer. He won his first European Footballer of the Year award that year.

The following season, he helped Milan to the Serie A title and the 1989 European Cup trophy, scoring two goals in the Final along the way to claiming his second European Footballer of the Year award.

He won his third European Footballer of the Year award in 1992, along with the FIFA World Footballer of the Year award, after leading Milan to yet another Serie A title as the league's top scorer.

His recurring ankle injury ended his playing career in 1993, though he did not officially retire until 1995.

26 May 1993 - I Hope They Enjoyed It While It Lasted

On 26 May 1993, Marseille won the Champions League trophy, but they were not allowed to defend it the following season.

Under the auspices of club president Bernard Tapie, Marseille rose to elite status in the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning four consecutive Ligue 1 titles from 1989 to 1992. They also reached the European Cup final in 1991, but lost to Red Star Belgrade in a penalty shootout, 0-0 (5-3).

After a disappointing second-round exit from the tournament in 1991-92, they returned to the final in 1993, where they met four-time champions AC Milan in Munich. Although the game featured three of the tournament's four top scorers--Marco van Basten for Milan and Franck Sauzée and Alen Bokšić for Marseille--an unheralded player scored the day's only goal, as Marseille center back Basile Boli found the back of the net in the 43rd minute. They remain the only French club to win the competition.

French authorities subsequently found Tapie and Marseille guilty of match-fixing during the 1992-93 Ligue 1 season. As a result, they were stripped of their 1993 league title and demoted to Ligue 2 for the next season. They were allowed to keep their Champions League trophy, but were barred from participating in the 1993-94 tournament.

6 December 2010 - Just Another Step In Their Plan For World Domination

On 6 December 2010, FIFA and France Football magazine announced the three finalists for the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or. And all three were from FC Barcelona.

The award was a combination of France Football's Ballon d'Or, started in 1956, and FIFA's World Player of the Year award, which began in 1991. In 2010, the two organizations agreed to merge their awards, calling the new honor the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

They announced their shortlist of 23 players on 27 October, then culled the list to the top three vote-getters on 6 December. The three were Barcelona's Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Lionel Messi, who had won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2009. Although Barcelona had won La Liga in 2010, the inclusion of Xavi and Iniesta was due in part to their World Cup-winning run with Spain the previous summer. But Messi went on to win the award when it was announced in January 2011.

It was not the first time that a single club took the top three spots in Ballon d'Or voting: AC Milan did it in 1988, when Marco van Basten beat out Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, then again in 1989, when van Basten won it again, that time over Rijkaard and Franco Baresi.

14 October 1992 - Van Basten's International Farewell

On 14 October 1992, Dutch captain Marco van Basten made his last appearance for the national team in a World Cup qualifier against Poland. A persistent ankle injury ended his career shortly afterward.

The match was only his 58th cap and came just over two weeks before his 28th birthday. Just four years earlier, he had starred for the Oranje in the European Championship, scoring a tournament-best five goals--including a hat-trick against England--as the Netherlands took the trophy. A disappointing early World Cup exit followed in 1990, however, with van Basten failing to find the net (the team scored only three goals in the tournament).

In 1991-92, van Basten finished the season with AC Milan as Serie A's top scorer and won a handful of individual awards, including the European Footballer of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year. But he missed a critical penalty in the Netherlands' Euro 1992 semifinal against Denmark and the Dutch went out 2-2 (4-5).

Van Basten hoped to turn the tide in the 1994 World Cup and captained the Netherlands for the start of their qualification campaign. But after only two matches, a 2-1 loss to Norway and the 2-2 draw with Poland, he missed the team's next two matches. Then, in May 1993, he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to sit out the entire 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons and the 1994 World Cup. The injury never fully healed and forced his early retirement in 1995.

Although he never played for Holland again, he did return to the team in 2004 as manager and spent four years in the role.

31 October 1964 - Birth Of The Dutch Master

On 31 October 1964, future World Player of the Year and three-time European Footballer of the Year Marco van Basten was born in Utrecht.

In 1981, the then-16-year old striker signed with Ajax in 1981. He made his first appearance for the senior side in April 1982, scoring a goal on his debut. He secured a starting position for the 1983-84 season and became the Eredivisie's top scorer that year with 28 goals in 26 league appearances. He remained the league's top scorer for the next three seasons.

While at Ajax, the club won three league titles (1981-82, 1982-83, 1984-85), three Dutch Cups (1983, 1986, 1987), and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1987).

In 1987, van Basten transferred to Milan. An ankle injury limited his playing time to 11 matches in that first season, but Milan won the Scudetto. Internationally, van Basten led the Netherlands to the 1988 UEFA European Championship as the tournament's top scorer. He won his first European Footballer of the Year award that year.

The following season, he helped Milan to the Serie A title and the 1989 European Cup trophy, scoring two goals in the Final along the way to claiming his second European Footballer of the Year award.

He won his third European Footballer of the Year award in 1992, along with the FIFA World Footballer of the Year award, after leading Milan to yet another Serie A title as the league's top scorer.

His recurring ankle injury ended his playing career in 1993, though he did not officially retire until 1995.