No. 4 Lionel Messi
Just turned 22 last month, the Argentine wunderkind is already considered one of the best soccer players of the world, and a near-lock to win FIFA Footballer of the Year for 2009 after finishing second in the voting the past two years. He led FC Barcelona to its second Champions League title in four years, scoring a tournament-high nine goals in the process. In the final against Manchester United, Messi helped to set up the first goal and put the game away in the 70th minute in a 2-0 victory, capping Barca's triple-crown season during which he scored 38 goals.
