The Barcelona star is European Footballer of the Year


Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina has won the Ballon d'Or 2009 award, making him the first player from his country to be crowned European Footballer of the Year.

The 22-year-old has now occupied all of the top three places, having debuted in third in 2007 before rising to second last year.

Furthermore, Messi has won by the greatest margin ever recorded in the history of this venerable competition. Out of a possible 480 points, Lionel scored 473 - a new record, and far ahead of the man in second place, namely last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese managed 233 points.

In winning the prize, awarded by France Football following voting by a panel of journalists from across the world, Messi becomes the youngest Ballon d'Or winner since Michael Owen's win as a 21-year-old in 2001.

In a year that Barcelona won an historic treble of the Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey, it seemed inconceivable that a player without the Blaugrana shirt would receive the award.

Barca midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi were also shortlised, but Messi was considered favourite by virtually every observer.

As such it was no surprise when he was confirmed as the winner late on Monday evening.

Teammate Xavi, meanwhile, is said to have ended up in third place.

From an initial shortlist of thirty, ten players were announced last week as the finalists, with Messi's name looming large among those of the likes of Dider Drogba and Wayne Rooney.

However, it was the former Newell's Old Boys youth who prevailed in the end.

Timing

Although the final result was not to be announced until 02:00 CET on Tuesday December 1st, reports of Messi's victory emerged in the French online press over an hour before the appointed time.

Furthermore, minutes after 01:00 CET, a message from the France Football profile on social networking website Facebook appeared announcing Messi as the winner, only to disappear seconds later.

Messi, who will be presented with his award on Sunday evening at a gala event in Paris, becomes the first registered Argentine to win the Ballon d'Or since its creation. Buenos Aires-born Juventus legend Omar Sivori triumphed in 1961, but at the time he was a registered Italian.


Source: goal.com

BARCELONA STAR LIONEL MESSI 'HONOURED' BY BALLON D'OR AWARD

Tuesday Dec 01 03:06
The Argentinian was surprised by the winning margin,
Barcelona star Lionel Messi has declared himself "honoured" to have been selected as the Ballon d'Or winner for 2009 after it was revealed that the Argentinian has been crowned the best footballer in Europe.

"It is my great honour to be selected for the Ballon d'Or, but also to be the first Argentine in history to receive this award," he told France Football's website.

He expressed surprise at the margin of victory after securing 473 points, 240 ahead of second placed Cristiano Ronaldo and also declared that collecting this individual award was very important to him.

"Honestly, I knew I was among the favourites, because Barca enjoyed a successful 2009 where we won everything. But I did not expect to win by a margin as large [240 points]. You know, the Ballon d'Or, is something very important to me. All those who won were great players. And some greats have never won it," he noted before setting his sights on replicating this success.

"It will not be easy to repeat a year like we just experienced. I hope the next year will be in the same vein. But winning the Ballon d'Or two years in a row, it's not easy ,  "

GUARDIOLA HAILS MESSI’S BALLON D’OR TRIUMPH BUT CREDITS BARCELONA TEAM EFFORT

Tuesday Dec 01 14:50
Pep has lavished praise not just on Lionel but also on the Barca institution…
Barcelona coach, Pep Guardiola, was a happy man after watching his young superstar, Lionel Messi crowned the 2009 Ballon d’Or winner.

While the coach had praise for the Argentine, he was also quick to point out that the club’s success over the course of the year played a vital role in ‘Little Lionel’s’ achievement.

“This is a good sign for us because it is impossible to gain these awards if the team does not win,” he told AS.

“It is an individual award which he [Messi] deserves but it is also recognition for the entire club, where there are many anonymous individuals.

“As for Messi, he is a player on another level. He is so young and yet, he already has two La Liga titles, two Champions League crowns, and the highest accolade you can get as a player.

“To be among the best, you have to master all the records and he has done that. But it must also be understood that this is a gift for him and for the team,” he stressed.

Like a consoling parent, Guardiola also reserved special mention for Xavi, who finished third in the Ballon d’Or rankings and Andres Iniesta, who came in fourth.

“France Football have recognised what they have achieved and this is a great honour,” he enthused. “My biggest wish is that Xavi and Andres understand how important their contributions are to Messi’s success, and Messi understand how vital Xavi and Iniesta are to him.”