Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi was awarded the 2015 Ballon d’Or at Monday’s gala in Zurich.
Messi, 28, had finished behind longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo in both 2013 and 2014 but was a clear winner of FIFA’s top individual honour for a record fifth time in his career.
After a year in which Barca won five trophies, including the Champions League and La Liga titles, the Blaugrana No. 10 had been an overwhelming favourite to take the prize.
FIFA #BallondOr 2015 winner #Messi received 41.33% of all votes ahead of #Cristiano (27.76%) & #Neymar (7.86%).
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) January 11, 2016
