BARCELONA forward Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or for a record sixth time.
The Argentine has been in phenomenal form since returning from injury in September, scoring 11 times and grabbing eight assists for La Blaugrana.
Messi won the prestigious prize with Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk second and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo third.
Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah placed fourth and fifth, while the side’s goalkeeper Alisson came in seventh, having won the Yachine Trophy earlier in the evening.
Messi and Ronaldo were the only two players to win the Ballon d’Or between 2008 and 2017, with Luka Modric, of Real Madrid, winning it in 2018.
The 2019 Ballon d’Or top ten:
1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
2. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool and Netherlands)
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus and Portugal)
4. Sadio Mane (Liverpool and Senegal)
5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool and Egypt)
6. Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain and France)
7. Alisson (Liverpool and Brazil)
8. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich and Poland)
9. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City and Portugal)
10. Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City and Algeria)
