Pretoria – The South American national soccer teams have started playing in qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. With so many of the world's most talented performers in action, fans right across the globe will be keeping close tabs on the opening round of games, which started in the second weekend of October.

Yet in the eyes of FIFA.com users there is little doubt who the biggest attraction will be when the curtain finally rises.

The man in demand is none other than Argentinian wizard Lionel Messi, who left his challengers standing when the poll opened at the start of this month.

The world football governing body asked fans: Who are you most looking forward to seeing when the South American qualifiers to the 2010 FIFA World Cup start?

In all, the boy from Barcelona garnered an amazing 49.37 per cent of the votes cast, well ahead of team-mate and bosom buddy Ronaldinho on 30.75 percent, with Uruguay's Diego Forlan and Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz trailing well behind on 2.66 percent and 1.58 percent respectively.

Interestingly, it was the French channel that produced the biggest gap between LaPulga (The Flea) and the Brazilian superstar, with the Argentinian finishing a full 24 percent clear, according to the official FIFA site.

The final standings were the same in all the languages bar German, where voters keen to see the likes of Kaka, Juan Roman Riquelme and Claudio Pizarro strut their stuff helped "Other" come in second ahead of Ronaldinho.

At a press conference in Buenos Aires earlier this month, the blushing Messi responded in typically modest fashion when asked how it felt to be described as the most spectacular player on the planet right now.

"It's really nice that people say so many good things about you, but for me the world's number one is still Ronaldinho," replied the man who is currently top scorer in the Spanish league.

"Some people say he's not on top form, but you can't deny he's the best player in the world."

Yet, after his sparkling showing in the recent Copa America and a sizzling start to the domestic season, including eight goals in his last seven games, few would argue with the verdict returned by FIFA.com users.

There is a lot more going on in the world of football than the South American qualifiers of course, and with the domestic season now in full swing on the other side of the Atlantic.

FIFA would not like to ask football fanatics across the globe, to cast their votes for the European club that has made the most surprising start to their league. – BuaNews