Staff Writer
Lionel Messi was awarded with the fifth Ballon d’Or award of his career on January 11, 2016. The award is given to the best player in the world each year. Messi already held the all-time record with four, but he added on to his total as he was given the award over nominees Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi won four in a row before Ronaldo took it home two years in a row, but now the Argentine has won it again. “It’s a very special moment for me to be back on this stage, winning again another Ballon d’Or after seeing Cristiano win it.”
Messi netted 52 goals and had 26 assists in 61 games in 2015 for FC Barcelona, while leading his team to a treble, a season consisting of a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey title, and a Champions League title.
After being crowned with the biggest individual award in world soccer, Messi expressed his gratitude for his voters and teammates, and explained how it was “incredible” that it was his fifth time winning the award.
Messi has many extraordinary individual achievements such as the most goals in a calendar year with 91, the record for the most Ballon d’Or awards, and the most goals in La Liga history. His team, FC Barcelona has achieved great things since he started playing for them in 2004. They have won seven La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey titles, and four Champions League titles.
Messi, the man with many records and achievements, will look to carry his success into the games coming up and for all of 2016, for both his country team Argentina, and his club FC Barcelona.
