Top 10 Small Athletes: #1 Lionel Messi

So why is Messi Number 1? Simple: He's the best player in the world's most popular sport.

The 5' 7" Messi is one of the most dangerous strikers in soccer history. He was the World Player of the Year in 2009. He's been named to the FIFPro World XI, basically the world All-Star team, each of the past three years.

In the past year alone, he led his club team, FC Barcelona, to titles in the Spanish League, Spanish Supercup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. Messi also led Argentina to the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

So when the 2010 World Cup starts up this summer, be sure to keep an eye out for the little guy.

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