Lionel Messi saw out fierce competition from Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho to claim a historic seventh Ballon d’Or.
Held in Paris, the 2021 ceremony saw the return of the revered award following a hiatus in 2020 due to covid.
“It’s incredible to be here again. Two years ago I thought it was the last time,” Messi said.
“I do not know how long I have left but I hope it will be a long time. I want to thank my teammates from Barcelona and PSG, and especially the Argentina team. I won this award and I had the feeling that I was missing something and this year I was able to achieve it”.
The 34-year-old PSG winger ended his long wait for a major international trophy, claiming the Copa America trophy against Brazil in Brazil with Argentina this summer.
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, who was hotly tipped to win the 2020 award could only manage second place this time.
The Bundesliga star didn’t leave empty handed however taking home the inaugural ‘Striker Of the Year’ honour.
Alexia Putella won the Feminin award after a dazzling 37 goals and 37 assists season with Barcelona, while Pedri won the Kopa award for the best player in the world under the age of 21.
Check out the full winners list below:
Ballon d’Or Féminin: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona and Spain)
Kopa Trophy: Pedri (Barcelona and Spain)
Yashin Trophy: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan, PSG and Italy)i
Striker of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich and Poland)
Club of the Year: Chelsea
Ballon d’Or: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, PSG and Argentina)