Messi edges Ronaldo for Sporting News men's soccer Athlete of the Decade
Lionel Messi’s greatness hardly was a secret as the decade began. He already had finished three times among the top three in voting for the annual Ballon d’Or trophy, presented to the greatest player in world soccer, and he won the award by a landslide in 2009. And yet, at that juncture of his career, he was a mere mortal.