Lionel Messi wins fifth FIFA Player of Year Award

Lionel Messi, right, is congratulated by Brazil’s Neymar, left, after winning the FIFA Men’s soccer player of the year 2015 prize during the FIFA Ballon d’Or awarding ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Monday, January 11, 2016.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has done it again.

With Messi and Ronaldo winning the last eight awards between them they have proven their right to be named amongst the world’s greatest players ever.

Lionel Messi looks set to disappoint those hoping to see him grace the Premier League after declaring he wants to end his career with Barcelona as he picked up his fifth Ballon d’Or award on Monday.

“It’s incredible that it’s my fifth and is much more than anything I could have dreamed of as a kid”.

Messi (41.3 per cent) beat Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (28.7 per cent) and team-mate Neymar Junior (7.8 per cent) to the crown. The award is decided by votes from global team captains and coaches, as well as a media representative from the country, and there’s traces of what is seemingly bias in a lot of votes. “There has always been respect and admiration between us”.

Messi helped Barcelona win the treble of Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Cup last season, plus the Club World Cup last month.

Portugal star Ronaldo, who represents Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid, has won the award three times.

In the women’s football, the 2015 Women’s World Cup champion US national team dominated the two major awards.

FIFA’s Women’s Player of the Year went to USA captain Carli Lloyd. Her goal from the halfway line in the World Cup final was also nominated for goal of the year.

None of that should detract from the sublime talent of Messi, who scored 48 goals in 53 games for Barcelona in the calendar year.

Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli was also shortlisted for guiding the host to a first Copa America title.