Lionel Messi wins the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the 4th year in a row - Monday Jan 07,2013

Lionel Messi won the2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or award on Monday as an expected and deserved reward for his astonishing 91-goal year for Barcelona and Argentina in 2012.Lionel Messi(25)took the honour ahead of Barcelona team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo at an awards ceremony in Zurich.

Lionel Messi received 41.60% of the points in votes cast by national team coaches and captains plus invited journalists.Ronaldo got 23.68 % and Iniesta scored 10.91 %

                              

Lionel Messi of Argentina, FIFA World Player of the Year 2012, is seen on a screen as he delivers a speech after receiving his FIFA Ballon d'Or trophy during the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2012 soccer awards ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich January 7, 2013

US Abby Wambach celebrates with the trophy after winning the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Award during the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2013 held at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 7, 2013

 Argentin's Lionel Messi, left, and US Abby Wambach, right, pose with their trophies after winning the World Player of the Year Awards during the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2013 held at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 7, 2013

 

 Lionel Messi of Argentina, FIFA World Player of the Year 2012 (L) poses with FIFA Women's World Player of the Year 2012 Abby Wambach (R) of the U.S. and FIFA President Sepp Blatter during the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2012 soccer awards ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich January 7, 2013.

 

 

Vicente del Bosque, the Spanish national team coach, and Sweden’s new women’s national team coach Pia Sundhage (former USA Coach) were the winners of the FIFA World Coach of the Year awards for men’s and women’s football, respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 FIFA FIFPro World XI of 2012

 

The Team -

• Iker Casillas in goal

•  Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Daniel Alves and Marcelo in defence; 

• Xabi Alonso, Xavi and Andres Iniesta in midfield, 

• Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao up front

 

 

Note

France great Michel Platini, and former Holland forwards Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten all won the old Ballon d'Or trophy for European footballer of the year thrice.

Lionel Messi already won the award in 2009/2010 and 2011

Press conference at the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2013 held at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013

 

 Red carpet prior to the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2013 held at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013

Cristiano Ronaldo, right, arrives with his girlfriend Irina Shayk