“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”, he said.
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Receiving his award from Kaka, the 2007 victor, Messi said: “It’s incredible this is my fifth”.
New Zealand stand-in skipper Chris Wood and coach Anthony Hudson were in good company when they overlooked Lionel Messi in the world wide vote for football’s player of the year.
US national team coach Jill Ellis have also been named for the first time as FIFA World Coaches of the Year for Women’s Football. He scored 52 goals in 61 games and made 26 assists: a goal every 101 minutes, and an assist every 202 minutes. Messi had helped Barca win the 23rd Spanish Championship, giving the team a total of five trophies as well.
The Argentine dethroned three-time victor Cristiano Ronaldo in adding to his four consecutive awards from 2009 to 2012.
He formed a deadly attacking triumvirate for the Catalan outfit, along with Brazil global Neymar and Uruguay’s Luis Suarez.
Messi won the footballer of the year award, given by global football’s governing body FIFA, for a record fifth time, ahead of Neymar who finished third in the voting, reports Xinhua.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was German champions Bayern Munich’s only representative.
When it comes to Premier League, Chelsea star Eden Hazard led the way with 59 points while Arsenal’s star Alexis Sanchez was not far behind with 53 points.
Brazilian Wendell Lira won the Puskas Award for the best goal.
Ronaldo unveiled the 3.40-metre-high bronze effigy of himself in December 2014 on the Funchal seafront, a few hundred metres from his own self-financed museum.
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European champions FC Barcelona’s star forward Lionel Messi said on Wednesday he would like to someday return to his native Argentina and play club football there.
