Barcelona teammates Xavi, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta face off for the FIFA-backed Ballon d'Or award for player of the year in Zurich on Monday.
This is only the third time in the award's history that the finalists have come from the same club after AC Milan players filled the first three places in 1988 and 1989 with Marco Van Basten picking up the honour on each occasion.
While the final result is clouded in secrecy Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport reckons that Iniesta would emerge victorious.
Iniesta scored the goal that won Spain the World Cup in the final against Holland in Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium last year.
But for UEFA president Michel Platini it is Iniesta's Spain teammate Xavi who should be honoured, with the European football chief also criticising the absence in the shortlist of Dutch playmaker Wesley Snweijder of Inter Milan.
"I would give it to Xavi, then Sneijder, who but for one goal would have won everything (having won the Champions League, Serie A title and Italian Cup last season), and then Iniesta," Platini said last month.
"It's not fair that the Inter player is not amongst the top three. The best players are Messi and Cristiano (Ronaldo) but the World Cup comes first," he added.
Platini twice won the Ballon d'Or and was also a two-time World Player of the Year winner before the two prizes merged this season.
This is the 55th edition of the players' award with Spain's world champion-winning duo in pole to lift it judging on past experience.
In 1998 Zinedine Zidane came out on top after leading France to that year's World Cup on home soil, In 2002 Ronaldo took the honours after Brazil's success in South Korea and Japan, while Italian World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro landed the award in 2006.
Given that, it's fair to say Iniesta and Xavi enter the final straight with a sizeable lead over their Barcelona teammate and 2009 Ballon d'Or, Messi, who endured a quiet World Cup, leaving South Africa without scoring a single goal after Argentina's failure to make it into the semi-finals.
This latest edition of the Ballon d'Or sees major changes to the way the title is nominated.
Set up in 1956 by France Football magazine the Ballon d'Or has now merged with FIFA's world player of the year award for the first time.
The voting committee, up to now made up of only journalists, now includes all the managers and captains of the 208 national sides affiliated to FIFA.
Irrespective of the outcome Barcelona are in a win-win position and with this eighth title they are assured of joining Juventus and AC Milan as the club with the most awards to their name.
If Iniesta or Xavi pick up the accolade as seems likely it will be a first Ballon d'Or for an Iberian star since Luis Suarez way back in 1960.
Monday's ceremony is not only about players as the manager of the year will also be unveiled with in contention Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, Spain's World Cup winning coach Vicente del Bosque, with this duo facing a redoubtable rival in the shape of Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho owes his place in the final line-up to his exploit of guiding Inter Milan to a historic treble last season of the Champions League, Serie A title and Italian cup.
In typically punchy fashion he insisted last month that he was truly deserving of the honour.
"Me, I've made my choice. 11 months work, 57 matches played, three titles including the most important of all, 'THE' tournament, the Champions League (plus the Italian Cup and the Italian league title)," said Mourinho, who left Inter for Real Madrid last summer.
"I have won everything, I could not do any more than that, equally so for the players."
Source: AFP Global Edition
