Messi beats Ronaldo and Naymar to Ballon d’Or title

The 28-year-old Barcelona superstar received his fifth Ballon d’Or award at a glittering ceremony here on Monday, ending his rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s two-year hold on football’s top individual prize.

He told marca.com: “In all honesty, yes, I’d hoped to come second”.

“Lionel’s spirit and the ability to overcome, and his desire to improve every day, are an inspiration and of great value to those who are close to him”.

“I want to keep succeeding with the club”. I always dreamed of being among the best and today I’m lucky to be here.

Lionel Messi extended his record haul of World Player of the Year awards with his fifth after winning the treble – La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League – with Barcelona in 2014-15.

“I think there are other players in my squad who deserve to be up there so I’m glad these players have such a strong future ahead of them”. I’ve watched them play since I was young and it’s awesome for me to be here with them.

“There has never been a player like him in history and nobody is going to buy him”, he said. I like Cristiano. I am the way I am. Messi’s teammate, Neymar, finished in third with just 7.86 percent, although, as the Daily Mirror notes, he compensated for his poor showing by wearing an amusing hat.

More surprisingly, Spain captain Iker Casillas – the former Real Madrid goalkeeper who now plays for Portuguese club Porto – was among those who did not vote.

He added: “It’s a gift, but you also need to work hard to ideal the moves and what you do in games”.

‘My intention is to end my career where I started it in Barcelona’.

FIFA Ballon d’Or victor Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona looks on during the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala 2015 at the Kongresshaus on January 11, 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland.

He was joined in shunning arguably the three best players in the world were the captains of Cameroon, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Uruguay and Vanuatu. He wants it and will work to win it. US boss Jill Ellis won best women’s football coach. “Because it has made me learn and grow”.

United States midfielder Carli Lloyd claimed the women’s world player of the year gong.

Real Madrid had as many players as Barcelona, four, in the World Team of the Year despite not winning a trophy.