Lionel Messi has been named Fifa’s The Best men’s player of 2019 at a ceremony in Milan, beating Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to the prize.
Messi racked half a century of goals in another prolific season as he claimed his 10th La Liga title with Barcelona.
Van Dijk was exceptional in Liverpool’s defensive unit as they finished second in the Premier League and won the Champions League by beating Tottenham in Madrid, while Ronaldo was Juventus’s top scorer as they won Serie A and also won the Nations League with Portugal.
But neither could match Messi’s exceptional show of talents over the year and the 32-year-old collected his sixth gong.
Van Dijk’s Liverpool teammate Alisson Becker won the men’s best goalkeeper prize while their manager Jurgen Klopp was named best manager and used the stage to announce his commitment to Common Goal, a charity founded by Juan Mata pledging one per cent of salaries to charity.
1/5 Ballon d’Or 2009-10
The dry years. There once was a time, a long time ago, when Lionel Messi wore conservative, moderate suits. Back in those dystopian times, the Argentinian superstar often elected to wear black as he conquered the footballing world, leaving the likes of previous winners Ronaldinho, Fabio Cannavaro and Kaka to a bygone era.
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2/5 Ballon d’Or 2011
The world was given one of its first glimpses into the wonderful and labyrinthine wardrobe of Messi a year later. Having previously only seen the Argentinian in Barcelona tracksuits or traditional garb, this 2011 number was just the start of the forward’s reign of terror over the fashion world.
Getty
3/5 Ballon d’Or 2012
12 months later and Messi was ready to up his game even further. 2012 was the year of the polka dot as the Barcelona superstar made headlines around the globe again. Winning the award for the second successive year, Barca’s main man celebrated the occasion with a dark navy and white three-piece suit.
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4/5 Ballon d’Or 2013
Peak Messi. It was only a few weeks since Christmas and the Argentina international clearly was still in the festive mood. Treating his adoring fans to a shimmering burgundy suit, members of the press on the red carpet had to shield their eyes as Messi strode to defeat, falling behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
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5/5 Ballon d’Or 2014
Perhaps Leo’s most moderate effort since 2009, last year’s offering seemed a compromise for those who don’t appreciate his trend-setting ways. Again sporting a bow-tie, the Argentine superstar opted for purple as his colour of choice. One wonders if he randomly selects his palette with his eyes closed.
Getty
1/5 Ballon d’Or 2009-10
The dry years. There once was a time, a long time ago, when Lionel Messi wore conservative, moderate suits. Back in those dystopian times, the Argentinian superstar often elected to wear black as he conquered the footballing world, leaving the likes of previous winners Ronaldinho, Fabio Cannavaro and Kaka to a bygone era.
Getty
2/5 Ballon d’Or 2011
The world was given one of its first glimpses into the wonderful and labyrinthine wardrobe of Messi a year later. Having previously only seen the Argentinian in Barcelona tracksuits or traditional garb, this 2011 number was just the start of the forward’s reign of terror over the fashion world.
Getty
3/5 Ballon d’Or 2012
12 months later and Messi was ready to up his game even further. 2012 was the year of the polka dot as the Barcelona superstar made headlines around the globe again. Winning the award for the second successive year, Barca’s main man celebrated the occasion with a dark navy and white three-piece suit.
Getty
4/5 Ballon d’Or 2013
Peak Messi. It was only a few weeks since Christmas and the Argentina international clearly was still in the festive mood. Treating his adoring fans to a shimmering burgundy suit, members of the press on the red carpet had to shield their eyes as Messi strode to defeat, falling behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Getty
5/5 Ballon d’Or 2014
Perhaps Leo’s most moderate effort since 2009, last year’s offering seemed a compromise for those who don’t appreciate his trend-setting ways. Again sporting a bow-tie, the Argentine superstar opted for purple as his colour of choice. One wonders if he randomly selects his palette with his eyes closed.
Getty
The women’s best player was named as Megan Rapinoe, the US star who helped to win the World Cup this summer. She beat her US teammate Alex Morgan and England’s Lucy Bronze to the award.
Fifa The Best awards 2019
Men’s player – Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
Women’s player – Megan Rapinoe (Reign FC and United States)
Men’s coach – Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Women’s coach – Jill Ellis (United States)
Men’s goalkeeper – Alisson Becker (Liverpool and Brazil)
Women’s goalkeeper – Sari Van Veenendaal (Atletico Madrid and Holland)
Puskas award – Daniel Zsori (Debrecen/Fehervar)
Fan award – Silvia Grecco (Palmeiras)
Fair play award – Marcelo Bielsa and the Leeds squad
FIFPro men’s world XI – Alisson; Matthijs De Ligt, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Virgil Van Dijk; Frenkie De Jong, Eden Hazard, Luka Modric; Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi
FIFPro women’s world XI – Sari Van Veenendaal; Lucy Bronze, Nilla Fischer, Kelley O’Hara, Wendie Renard; Julie Ertz, Amandine Henry, Rose Lavelle; Marta, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe
