Barcelona star Lionel Messi is hoping to win the Ballon d'Or this season after missing out on the French award in recent years. The livewire forward has been in scintillating form with the treble champions this year and is a firm favorite for the FIFA Player of the Year award. "I would like to win [the Ballon d'Or]. I think that any Barca player would deserve the award this season," he told French L'Equipe. "I am well placed because two years ago I finished third, last year I was second, so this year I hope to be first." New Deal Meanwhile, Barcelona are on their way to offer the Argentine sensation a new contract, which will make the highest paid player in the squad. "He's the best player in the world and one of the best in soccer history," Barcelona chairman Joan Laporta told Catalan radio. "He's content (here at Barca) and that's why he's playing the way he is." Messi's new contract is believed to earn him £170,000 per week, however, the 22-year-old is still behind the world's best paid player Cristiano Ronaldo.
