Messi wins FIFA Ballon d’Or

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been named the FIFA Men's World Player of the Year for 2010 receiving the inaugural FIFA Ballon d’Or, a fusion of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and France Football magazine’s Ballon d’Or.

Messi was on a three-man shortlist with Barca team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta but, despite Spain's World Cup triumph, the Argentina forward came out on top in the voting.

Messi scored more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues in 2010, with 42 goals in 36 La Liga games, as well as finishing top scorer in the Champions League in 2010 with 12 goals in 12 games.

He totalled 60 goals for the year for club and country.

"To be honest, I didn't expect to win today, but it was already great to be here next to my two mates," Messi said as he accepted the award. "To win it makes it even more special.


"I want to share with all of my friends, my family, all the Barcelonistas and the Argentinians."

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was named named FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men's Football. Mourinho won Serie A, the Champions League and Coppa Italia with Inter Milan in the 2009-10 season and has made an impressive start to life at the Bernabeu.

In his acceptance speech, Mourinho paid tribute to Spain's Vicente Del Bosque and Barcelona's Pep Guardiola, who had been shortlisted for the award.

Hamit Altintop won the FIFA Puskas Award for best goal in recognition of his strike for Turkey against Kazakhstan.





The Full list of Winners


FIFA Men's World Player of the Year: Lionel Messi
FIFA Women's World Player of the Year: Marta
FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men's Football: Jose Mourinho
FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women's Football: Silvia Neid
FIFA FIFPro World XI of 2010: Casillas; Maicon, Pique, Lucio, Puyol; Xavi, Sneijder, Iniesta; Cristiano Ronaldo, Villa, Messi
FIFA Puskas Award: Hamit Altintop
FIFA Fair Play Award: Haiti Under-17 women's team
FIFA Presidential Award: Archbishop Desmond Tutu