Manchester City had staged an epic 4–3 comeback against Manchester United at home, and the shockwaves it had sent throughout the world had yet to fully subside when the annual FIFA Ballon d'Or awards ceremony began entering the fans' field of vision.
As in previous years, this year's ceremony was once again held at the Zurich Opera House in Switzerland.
The difference was that this year, Man City clearly had a much larger contingent.
In the eleven-man Annual Best Team lineup announced long in advance, Man City occupied three spots.
Casillas was the goalkeeper. The back four consisted of Pepe, Ramos, Kompany, and Alves. The midfield featured Iniesta, Xavi Alonso, and Xavi, while the front line was made up of Cristiano Ronaldo, Su Dong, and Messi.
Having three players selected for the Annual Best Team was enough to show Man City's progress.
One had to understand that before this, getting three players selected had been unthinkable. Even getting one selected had been beyond their wildest dreams.
When had Man City ever had a player nominated for the Ballon d'Or or World Footballer of the Year?
Besides being selected for the Annual Best Team, Guardiola had also been nominated for the Annual Best Men's Football Coach award. Unfortunately, although his tenure at Man City had been immensely successful and the treble had been a brilliant achievement, he had ultimately still lost out to Mourinho.
Barcelona had also enjoyed an outstanding season. Mourinho had finally fulfilled his wish by claiming the first Champions League title of his career. After reaching the Champions League final for three consecutive seasons, he had fought tooth and nail to seize this one, finally accomplishing his long-cherished ambition.
Under such circumstances, the Annual Best Men's Football Coach award naturally could not escape him. Guardiola and Ferguson could