Spanish daily AS said “Spain is very angry,” and Marca has “Two Giants and one Anti-Spaniard” splashed across its front page in reference to Messi, coach of the year Jose Mourinho and Blatter. ABC newspaper wrote: “FIFA scorns the world champions.” Messi won the FIFA award for a second straight year on Monday, the Argentina forward's standout performances for Barcelona outweighing a disappointing World Cup, where Iniesta and Xavi helped lead the European champions to their first world championship.

Iniesta scored the winning goal in July's 1-0 extra time win against the Netherlands at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, while Xavi has been labeled the brains behind the team as he orchestrated much of the team's play.

Despite six Spanish players being included in FIFA's 2010 world all-star team, Marca said “without a doubt the biggest loser on this night was Spanish football.” “(Blatter) had the chance to once again show his ill-will toward everything Spanish,” Marca wrote. “Only a few days ago he left us without the chance to organize the World Cup by instead opting for Russia and Monday he left us without a prize that Spanish football deserved.” Russia beat bids from Spain-Portugal, Belgium-Netherlands and England for the right to host the 2018 finals in a vote last month.

Iniesta and Xavi had been favorites after helping Spain win last year's World Cup while Messi had failed to score a goal or produce his best form at the tournament in South Africa.

"It was just good to be here with my teammates," said Messi, who looked as surprised as anyone by the result, which was announced by Barcelona coach Guardiola.

"I'd like to share this with my teammates, without whom I would not be here, and...with all the Argentines." Messi won surprisingly easily, polling 22.65 percent of the votes to Iniesta's 17.36 and Xavi's 16.48.

It was the first time the award had been made since the decision to unite FIFA's World Player of the Year award with France Football magazine's older Ballon D'Or.

Messi won both awards last season. The only Spanish winner of either prize was Luis Suarez who won the Ballon D'Or in 1960.

Spain's only consolation was that they had six players in the world team of the year, Iniesta and Xavi joined by Iker Casillas, David Villa, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique.

Brazilians Lucio and Maicon, Dutchman Wesley Sneijder, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi completed the line-up.

Votes were for the players and coaches awards were cast by the coaches and captains of national teams and by selected journalists while 50,000 professional players took part in the poll for the world eleven.

Messi produced some scintillating performances for Barcelona last year, but failed to inspire Argentina who were knocked out in the quarter-finals in South Africa.

A host of other awards were handed out by FIFA with South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu and the Haitian women's under-17 team among other winners.

The 79-year-old Tutu, who used his church pulpit as a platform to help bring down apartheid, took the FIFA Presidential Award.

The Haitian team were given the Fair Play award for taking part in the CONCACAF under-17 women's championship in Costa Rica two months after the huge earthquake which devastated their country at the start of last year.

FIFA's goal of the year award went to Turkey's Hamit Altintop for a spectacular volley against Kazakhstan and Brazil's Martha was named women's Player of the Year for the fifth time in a row.