Lionel Messi wins fifth Ballon d’Or

FC Barcelona President Josep Bartomeu admits he is delighted that Leo Messi won the Balon D’ Or award for a historic fifth time on Monday and promised that neither the Argentinean, nor Neymar, who finished third in the voting for the award, will be leaving the club.

Messi helped Barca win the Champions League, La Liga and the Spanish Cup last season.

It was the 28-year-old Argentine’s record stretching fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or award, receiving 41.33 percent of the votes, followed by Ronaldo (27.76 percent) and Neymar (7.86 percent). You know as well as I do that it’s certainly Messi who will win it. I think so.

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.

“There has never been a player like him in history and nobody is going to buy him”, he said in an interview with Italian newspaper, La Repubblica. “This Ballon d’Or means more than I could have ever dreamed of as a child”.

The final three of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. all had the opportunity to vote as they are all national team captains, and none of them voted for themselves. “Overall I’m not a big fan of that”, the Frenchman said earlier on Monday.

Neymar also took the same route, voting for an all Barcelona-trio of Messi, Suarez and Ivan Rakitic.

But regarding feelings between him and Ronaldo, Messi insisted: “We’ve always had a good relationship”.

“On our part, there has always been admiration and respect”.

Then they won the Club World Cup last month.

Although he became the first player to win the award five times, Messi has said he would swap all the individual accolades for a World Cup success.

The women’s awards were won by US captain Carli Lloyd and coach Jill Ellis.