Messi wins Ballon d'Or for third straight Year

• Print PDF

After winning the FIFA Ballon D'Or in 2009 and 2010, Argnetine and Barcelona midfielder Lionel Messi has once again scooped the 2001 Award

Messi was awarded at s held on Monday 9 January 2012 in Kongresshaus, Zurich (Switzerland).

Messi was awarded by 1994 and 2002 FIFA World Cup winner Ronaldo the Ballon D’Or Award as he beat two other deserving players; Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Portugal as well as Xavi of Barcelona and Spain.

best 11 players

Japan emerged massive winners at the awards with their Captain Homare Sawa being named the Women’s World Player of the Year. The team Coach Norio Sasaki was named the best Women’s Football Coach of the Year as the team itself was named the Fair Play Award.

Barcelona Coach Pep Guardiola beat Jose Mourinho to the Men’s Coach of the Year Award as he led Barcelona to the Domestic, European and FIFA Club World Cup success.

From the awards, three teams; Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona produced the best 11 players over the past year while highly rated Brazilian youngster Neymar landed the FIFA Puskás Award Complete winners;

FIFA Ballon d’Or - Lionel Messi [Barcelona]
FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year - Homare Sawa [Japan]
FIFA Men’s Football Coach of the Year – Pep Guardiola [Barcelona]
FIFA Women’s Football Coach of the Year – Norio Sasaki [Japan Coach]
FIFA Presidential Award - Sir Alex Ferguson [Manchester United]
FIFA Fair Play Award - Japan Football Association (JFA)
FIFA Puskás Award –Neymar [Santos]
FIFA/FIFPro World XI – Casilas, Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Dani Alves, Gerard Pique (Barcelona) , Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Iniesta, Xavi, Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso, Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)