Lionel Messi wins Ballon d'Or for fifth time

[forest444]

Lionel Messi reclaimed the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for the world player of the year on Monday, after watching his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo walk off with the prize for the previous two years. The Argentine-born Barcelona forward finished ahead of 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 Spanish league, cup and 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,” said Messi as he received the award. "I want to thank my team mates, without them none of this would have been possible.”

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. Ronaldo ended last season trophyless with Real Madrid although he helped Portugal qualify for Euro 2016.

The ceremony, at the Zürich Kongresshaus Theatre, was held against the backdrop of FIFA going through the worst corruption crisis since it was founded in 1904.

Outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter, normally a central figure at the ceremony, was not involved after being banned for eight years by the Ethics Committee in December. Blatter was replaced by acting FIFA President Issa Hayatou who played a low-key role, reading a brief speech before the start of the ceremony.

At: http://buenosairesherald.com/article/206524/messi-wins-ballon-dor-for-fifth-time

[SunSeeker]

1. "I want to thank my team mates, without them none of this would have been possible.”

Messi has always been a class act. He always cheers when one of his teammates scores a goal. Ronaldo is prone to jealous sulking when someone other than him scores a goal for his team. The difference in attitudes obviously affects team cohesion--and fan affection. Messi and Barca truly deserved their many awards over the last year.

And Carli Lloyd was the obvious choice for women's player of the year. She was phenomenal at the Women's World Cup.

[Aquavit]

2. As usual, Philipp Lahm gets it right

It really has become a "World's Best Striker" award, little better than a popularity contest.

"I know the procedure. During the season you get a note and you are asked to name three players from a list of candidates. And then you go for the obvious choices – which brings us back to Facebook. You are stuck with the best-known names, with players of which you remember pictures or games immediately. Players who are everywhere, on and off the pitch. You vote for the 'most visible' players."

"That's why it has become a vote for the 'world's best striker award' in the end. That's not my embittered perspective as a defensive player but a neutral and statistic-founded fact."

http://www.goal.com/en-ca/news/4201/fifa-ballon-dor/2016/01/12/19254432/philipp-lahm-ballon-dor-has-become-worlds-best-striker-award?ICID=HP_BN_1