Nor did Milito or Sneijder.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Ballon d'Or is judged on performances over the last 12 months. Sneijder has pretty much been missing since July/August time, a third of the year. Messi has been exceptional this season as well as last, I agree he didn't have a great World Cup but that's only taking out 1 month rather than 4/5, making him a better candidate for the award. As I mentioned before, Xavi has been even better than both over the last 12 months though.