Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi cracks a grin on The National Sport's front page on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 as he poses with the Ballon d'Or trophy.
Messi finished ahead of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil forward Neymar as he scooped the award for the fifth time overall, having previously won it four years in a row from 2009 to 2012.
Messi helped Barcelona win a Primera Liga, Copa del Rey and Uefa Champions League treble plus the Club World Cup and also led Argentina to the Copa America final, where they lost to Argentina.
“It’s incredible, much more than anything I dreamed of as a kid,” Messi said as he received the award. “I want to thank my teammates, without them none of this would have been possible.”
Picture galleries:
The Ballon d’Or stars in shiny suits at Zurich
Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar lead Fifa Team of the Year
Barcelona’s Luis Enrique was voted Coach of the Year.
United States World Cup winner Carli Lloyd, who scored a hat-trick in the final against Japan, was named Women’s Player of the Year.
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