Messi's ballon d'or win in 2010 is pure and simply NOT defensible. People are making caricatures of themselves when they defend it.
Even this year it would be defensible if he wins it. His achievement of 70 goals or so is rivaled by Iniesta's EC win, Drogba's CL win and Ronaldo's excellent season and La Liga win. Won't be a scandal if Messi wins it. But in 2010 he actually won against a treble winner who was fantastic in CL and at the world cup.
Anyway, I once showed it in more details how Sneijder actually would have won the ballon d'or that year if FIFA didn't interfere. Sneijder clearly won the journalists voting (that was the only voting before ballon d'or was merged with FIFA), but the national federations outnumbered the journalists and gave the price to Messi. Also, in the journalists voting Messi won the 4th place that year. Both Xavi and Iniesta were ahead of him.