United States soccer player Carli Lloyd arrives on the red carpet prior to the FIFA Ballon d’Or awarding ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday, January 11, 2016.
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She was favored to win after scoring three goals in her third major title win, a 5-2 rout of Japan last July.
In her speech at the Federation Internationale de Football Association awards ceremony on Monday night, Lloyd thanked Galanis. Having already guided U.S. to their third FIFA Women’s World Cup™ victory at Canada 2015, after the nation’s previous wins in 1991 and 1999, the Stars and Stripes coach has now been named FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football with 42.98 per cent of the vote. Lloyd had scored six goals including hat trick at World Cup.
With five player-of-the-year awards before his 29th birthday, Messi appears to be ending the debate over who is the best of all-time.
And now she can add the Women’s World Player of the Year to her list of individual awards, Lloyd beating Celia Sasic and Aya Miyama to the prize. FIFA’s member countries also participated in the vote. “We didn’t come here to just make it to the final”. Messi and Ronaldo, who plays for Real Madrid, have combined to win the last eight player-of-the-year awards.
“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”, Messi said in accepting his award. She scored an overtime gold-medal game-winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and scored the only two goals at the 2012 Olympic final.
“Carli is a great representative of U.S. Soccer and her performance at the Women’s World Cup was one of the most memorable in the history of our Federation”, said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati.
“To my players, the captains, my staff back in the USA right now, it is my honest grattitude for your commitment and your effort and your belief in this team”, Ellis said upon accepting the honor.
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“To James, we started this journey 13 years ago and you told me I could become the best player in the world…it’s just took me until now to realise I could”.
