Lionel Messi was crowned the world’s best player for a record 5th time, beating three-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona teammate Neymar. US midfielder Carli Lloyd won the women’s prize, while Luis Enrique won the World Coach of the year, after leading Barcelona to five trophies out of a possible six in 2015.
Lionel Messi wins his fifth Ballon d’Or; Image Source: AFP/Getty
Messi won 41.33% of the votes, beating Cristiano Ronaldo (27.76%) and Neymar (7.86%) with ease to win his fifth award, after winning 4 consecutive Golden Balls from 2009 to 2012. Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the last two times, failed to win a single trophy with Real Madrid in 2015, despite a stellar scoring record, which probably played against the Portuguese’s favor. Neymar, who finished third, was an outside contender in the two-horse race for best player, as Messi and Ronaldo have shared the prize between themselves from the past eight years.
Carli Llyod, who scored a hat-trick in the Women’s World Cup final against Japan including a goal from the half-way line, beat former Germany striker Celia Sasic and Japanese captain Aya Miyama to the women’s prize.
United States coach Jill Ellis won the Women’s Coach of the Year, while Luis Enrique won the Men’s prize after leading Barcelona to the treble and the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Jill Ellis bags Women’s World Coach of the Year; Image Source: FIFA via Getty
Atletico Goianiense’s Wendell Lira won the Puskas Award for his overhead kick against Goianesia, while Messi’s solo goal against Bilbao and Alessandro Florenzi’s 55-yard screamer against Barcelona finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.
The FIFPro World XI attracted controversy, as Real Madrid had four players in the squad, as much as their Catalan rivals Barcelona, despite winning a grand total of zero trophies in 2015. Manuel Neuer was the man between the sticks for the third year running, behind a back-four consisting of Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo. A midfield trio consisted of Andres Iniesta and Luka Modric, while Paul Pogba was Serie A’s lone representative. The front-three were the Ballon d’Or nominees – Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Image Source: FIFA via Getty
The Premier League didn’t have a single representative, despite being widely touted as Europe’s best league.
Since the FIFPro XI raised several eyebrows after its suspect inclusion of 4 Real Madrid players, we have picked our own SpectralHues World XI –
Manuel Neuer keeps his place as goalkeeper, narrowly edging out the likes of David De Gea and Gigi Buffon. Gerard Pique comes in for Thiago Silva, while Marcelo is replaced by Bayern utility man David Alaba. Modric makes way for the criminally underrated Sergio Busquets, who partners young Frenchman Paul Pogba in midfield. Luis Suarez plays as the focal point of a 4-man attack force, beating Robert Lewandowski for the spot. Ronaldo and Messi play on the left and right wing respectively, while Neymar drifts behind his club teammate Suarez.
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