The world super soccer star, Lionel Messi has, for the sixth time won the World Best FIFA Men’s Player of the year 2019.
The Argentine defeated Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo to scoop the prize.
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Messi sealed the victory after leading Barcelona to yet another La Liga title last campaign, his 10th since breaking through with the club.
He scored 51 goals across 50 appearances for the Catalan side, marking his 10th consecutive season with at least 40 finishes.
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Monday’s ceremony signalled the fourth time the prize had been presented, having previosuly been merged with France Football ‘s Ballon d’Or, with Real Madrid’s Champions League successes dominating the award’s early history.
Ronaldo had won the award in 2016 and 2017, having led his team to Champions League crowns, with Messi finishing second in the voting in each season.
Luka Modric then took home the trophy in 2018 following yet another Champions League triumph, the club’s third in a row, as well as a run to the World Cup final with Croatia in Russia.
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There was no stopping Messi, this year, though, as he was also named to the FIFA Men’s World XI alongside Van Dijk, Ronaldo, Modric, Alisson Becker, Marcelo, Matthijs de Ligt, Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappe.
It wasn’t all successful for the Barca star, though, as 18-year-old Hungarian Daniel Zsori topped Messi’s strike against Real Betis to claim the Puskas Award.
In the women category, Megan Rapinoe won the player award – ahead of fellow American Alex Morgan and England’s Lucy Bronze.
Rapinoe, 34, claimed the Golden Ball for being the best player at the 2019 Women’s World Cup as she helped the United States win the competition.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also won the men’s coach of the year.
Klopp beat Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino to win the prize, after leading Liverpool to winning the 2019 UEFA Champions League final in June, and finisghing second place in the English Premier League
www.sojworldnews.com (c) September 23, 2019
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