Lionel Messi beat his nearest competitor Cristiano Ronaldo by a clear 240 points to emerge as Europe’s finest player in 2009.
Messi who garnered an impressive 473 points out of the possible 480 became the first Argentine player to lift the coveted trophy that is awarded by France Football.
Messi will now be presented with the award in a fabulous gala on Sunday night. The Ballon d’or is considered to be the first among a host of awards that this sensational forward is expected to win – the others being the FIFA World Player of the year and the FIFPro award an award which he has already won for the past three consecutive years albeit in the young player of the year category.
It seems like his club Barcelona have indeed enjoyed some good fortune when it comes to this award. Messi is now the sixth Barca player to win this award. At only 22, Messi has proved why he is yet another strong contender for the FIFA world player of the year.
After emerging as the top scorer in Europe’s ultimate club tournament – the Uefa Champions League with nine goals to his name, Messi helped his club win an impressive three title the first in Spanish football history. The Uefa Champions League, the La Liga title and the Copa del rey where he pulled in an astonishing 38 goals for the 2008/2009 season.
“There’s a lot of emotion – the Ballon d’or is very important for me. I know i appeared among the favorites because Barcelona had a profitable year. For me its a big honor to win – but also to become the first Argentinian in history to receive the trophy. I dedicate it to my family, they were always present when i needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me.” Lionel Messi speaking to France Football.
All we can do now is wait and see if he December 19 will be another big prize day for Lio.
