Argentinian star Lionel Messi was awarded his third
straight Ballon d' Or title in a prestigious ceremony
in Zurich on Monday. The 24-year-old Barcelona

heart throb finished ahead of Real Madrid star
Cristiano Ronaldo and his fellow Barcelona teammate
Xavi Hernandez. The hat trick for the striker will mean
that he has matched Michel Platini as only the second
player to win three successive awards. "It's a great
personal pleasure for me," said Messi. "It's the third
time I've won it. It's just an amazing honour. I want
to thank everyone that's been involved with me
- my team-mates, trainers, physios, the coach
(Pep Guardiola) and everyone at Barcelona. "I'd
also like to thank the Argentina national team as
well."
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Xavi
both paid tribute to Messi. Ferguson said Messi could
now be judged alongside the greats of world football
through the ages, even though he is still only 24.
"Critics have always questioned whether players like Pele from the 50s could play today," said
Ferguson. "The answer to that is great players would play in any generation. Lionel Messi could
play in the 1950s and the present day, as could Di Stefano, Pele, Maradona, Cruyff because
they are all great players. "Lionel Messi without question fits into that category."
Earlier that evening Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was also awarded the Best Coach award for
2011. He too finished ahead of Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho and Manchester United's Alex Ferguson.
The FIFPro World XI was as follows : Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Dani Alves (Barcelona),
Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd), Andres
Iniesta (Barcelona),Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Xavi (Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Barcelona),
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd).
Votes were cast by national team coaches and captains, plus invited journalists.
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