Argentina’s Lionel Messi has run away with the title of best player in the world at this year’s Ballon d’Or after garnering the most number of votes from a combined panel of national team captains, coaches, and select members of the media.
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Neither man voted for the other in their respective top threes, with Messi choosing Barca team-mates Luis Suarez, Neymar and Andres Iniesta, and Ronaldo also selecting a trio of club colleagues in Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale.
Wayne Rooney chose eventual victor Lionel Messi as his pick for the 2015 Ballon d’Or award – ahead of Thomas Muller and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He may have failed to lift Argentina in the World Cup and the Copa America finals.
“It’s a very special moment to come back and get a Ballon d’Or again after the two years in which Cristiano Ronaldo won”.
The United States won last year’s Women’s World Cup in Canada, and Carli Lloyd was a big reason, scoring three goals for the hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Japan in the final.
The organization is, of course, still reeling from the eight-year bans from football imposed in December on Sepp Blatter, the former FIFA President, and Michel Platini, who was widely expected to succeed Blatter before he became caught up in a FIFA ethics investigation.
Neymar was all smiles after his Barcelona teammate won the award.
“It’s incredible this is my fifth”. Messi netted goals in all of them. Carli Lloyd won the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year at 33 years old, making her the second oldest to ever take home the honor.
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“I used to watch Messi and Ronaldo on TV and played with them on the Playstation – now I am close to them”. Belgium captain Vincent Kompany choose his team mates Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard as his top two. Sasic also scored six goals in Canada to win the tournament Golden Boot, then retired aged just 27.
