FC Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi has beaten out arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo and teammate Andres Iniesta to win the Ballon d'Or for the third consecutive year. The award has only existed in its current form for three years, and Messi won both the old Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009, meaning this is his fourth consecutive year being named as the world's best player by FIFA.
Lionel Messi wins 2012 Ballon d’Or
Trophy case getting a bit full? Lionel Messi has been named the world’s best player for the fourth consecutive year.
Christof Koepsel
Messi picked up 41.6 percent of the vote to capture the men’s player of the year award. There were a few grumblings before the ceremony that Iniesta’s Euro 2012 win might help him pull off an upset, but voters couldn’t argue with Messi’s outrageous goal tally.
American forward Abby Wambach picked up the women's Ballon d'Or award, beating out teammate Alex Morgan and five-time winner Marta. Last year's winner, Japan's Homare Sawa, was not one of this year's finalists.
In a massive upset, Miroslav Stoch captured the Puskas Goal of the Year award over Radamel Falcao and Neymar.
The FIFPro World XI featured 11 players based in Spain, which a number of fans around the world will surely be unhappy about.
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
Defenders: Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Radomel Falcao, Cristiano Ronaldo
Spain's Vicente del Bosque captured the men's coach of the year award, while Pia Sundhage, now manager of Sweden, was named women's coach of the year for her accomplishments as head coach of the United States.
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