Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is the world footballer of the year once again.
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Barcelona Coach Luis Enrique believes Lionel Messi’s fifth Ballon d’Or proves he is the greatest player of all time. I want to finish my career at home and my home is Barcelona.
“It is incredible that it s my fifth”.
“We have always had a good relationship”, said Messi about his rivalry with Ronaldo.
The Argentine star feels the success of Barcelona’s “MSN” is down to the rapport between the trio and insists that Suarez, who was the only member of the group not to make the Ballon d’Or final three, is one of the finest strikers he has ever played with. “But they’ve both been coming here for eight or nine years and I want to be like them one day, trying to beat their own records”.
ESPN reported that vandals in Portugal painted Messi’s name on a statue of Ronaldo in Portugal on Tuesday.
Ronaldo’s statue was inaugurated in 2014 with the presence of the Real Madrid player and his close relatives. “There has always been respect and admiration between us”.
Monday’s ceremony also saw Barca boss Luis Enrique named men’s world coach of the year, while in the equivalent category for women’s football, England boss Mark Sampson came third, with United States counterpart Jill Ellis taking the award.
The 28-year-old won a total of five trophies with the club in 2015, including the Champions League and Club World Cup, while he also guided Argentina to the final of the Copa America, suffering a penalty shoot-out loss to hosts Chile.
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Carli Lloyd scored a hat-trick in that match and that was enough to help her land the Federation Internationale de Football Association women s player of the year gong.
