Argentina and Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi made it five Ballon d’Or wins Monday at the FIFA Gala & Awards night in Zurich, Switzerland.
Messi (41.3 per cent) beat Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (28.7 per cent) and team-mate Neymar Junior (7.8 per cent) to the crown.
Messi won the best player in the world award for four consecutive years from 2009 to 2012, before being pipped to the title by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013 and 2014.
The Argentinian had another stellar year in 2015 where he scored 53 goals in 56 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona. He also inspired Argentina to the Copa America final, where they were beaten by Chile on penalties.
“It is a very special moment for me to be back here on this stage, winning again another Ballon d’Or after being there in the audience watching Cristiano win. It’s incredible this is my fifth.
“It’s much more than anything I’ve dreamt of as a kid. I want to thank everyone who voted for me and I want to thank my team-mates.
“And lastly, I want to thank football in general for everything it has brought me. Both the bad and the good, because it has made me learn and grow.”
Prior to winning the prestigious trophy, Messi had insisted that he would swap all of his Ballon d’Or titles to win the World Cup.
Barcelona’s chief coach, Luis Enrique and the handler of the USA’s national women team, Jill Ellis, were voted Coach of the Year for the male and female categories, respectively.
Brazilian Wendell Lira (Goianesia) won the FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal of 2015 for his stunning over-head kick for his club against Atletico-GO.
Carli Lloyd was named FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year after captaining USA to 2015 Women’s World Cup glory, while Gerard Asamoah clinched the FIFA Fair Play Award for his work with refugees.
-Vanguard
