Daily News Directory : FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015 goes to Lionel Messi

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015 goes to Lionel Messi

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

FIFA

12 January 2016: FIFA Ballon d'Or 2015 goes to Lionel Messi
23 October 2015: FIFA World Cup: Germany defeats Argentina in U-17
9 October 2015: Three FIFA officials suspended for ninety days
22 May 2015: FIFA president 'on a mission of peace'
5 May 2015: German journalists detained in Qatar while investigating controversial 2022 FIFA World Cup hosting win

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Yesterday, Argentina and FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi won the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or in the FIFA event, hosted in Zürich, Switzerland. Ballon d'Or is an annual award to the best player of the year via voting.

	It's incredible that it's my fifth. Much more than anything I would have dreamed of as a kid.^((es))
—Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi with Carli Lloyd at the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala yesterday.
Image: Marcelo Brandão/ABr.

Messi along with his Barcelona teammate Neymar and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo were short listed by FIFA back in November. Having won five major trophies in the 2015 calendar year, which included the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup in December in Japan against an Argentine club River Plate in which he scored the first goal, Messi won 41.33% of the votes in the Gala.

Winner in previous years Ronaldo secured 27.76% of votes, and Messi's teammate Neymar won 7.86%. Messi played 61 games in 2015, and scored 52 goals. He also provided 26 assists. With these stats, he also scored in each of the six tournaments.

At the ceremony, Messi said "It's a very special moment for me to be back here on this stage, winning again another Ballon d'Or after seeing Cristiano win it". "It's incredible that it's my fifth. Much more than anything I would have dreamed of as a kid."^((es))

Messi previously won the La Liga best player of the year; and UEFA Best Player in Europe Award with 49 votes out of 54, leaving behind his teammate Luis Suárez and Ronaldo who got three and two votes respectively. He also gathered a silver medal in the 2015 Copa América when Argentina lost to the hosts Chile over penalties.

Messi previously won the award for four consecutive years from 2009 to 2012. Ronaldo and Messi between them have won the trophy for the past eight years. Neymar this year became the first top-three Brazilian since Kaká's 2007 win.

Messi voted for his teammates Neymar, Suárez, and Andrés Iniesta; Neymar voted for Messi, Suárez, and Ivan Rakitić. Neymar at the ceremony said "It is a dream for me to be here, it's a victory".

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