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Lionel Messi has claimed a record sixth Ballon d\u2019Or crown at the 64th ceremony in Paris.<\/p>\nLionel Messi has claimed a record sixth Ballon d\u2019Or crown at the 64th ceremony in Paris.<\/p>\n
Argentina striker Messi moved ahead of great rival Cristiano Ronaldo to take outright ownership of the Ballon d\u2019Or record haul, seeing off Liverpool\u2019s Virgil Van Dijk and Juventus\u2019 Ronaldo.<\/p>\n
Messi struck 54 goals for club and country in the 2018-19 season, and found the net nine times in seven games in October and November.<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old held off the challenge of Holland center-back Van Dijk, whose talismanic performances helped Liverpool to the Champions League title.<\/p>\n
Messi added another Ballon d\u2019Or to the Best FIFA Men\u2019s award in 2019, while Liverpool\u2019s Van Dijk had claimed UEFA\u2019s Men\u2019s Player of the Year.<\/p>\n
Van Dijk could have been the first defender to lift the Ballon d\u2019Or since Italy\u2019s Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 but Messi scuppered the Liverpool man\u2019s chances.<\/p>\n
Juventus defender Matthijs De Ligt claimed the 2019 Kopa Trophy for the young player award.<\/p>\n
The center-back helped Holland to the final of the Nations League, with his former club Ajax reaching the Champions League semi-finals.<\/p>\n
Alisson Becker lifted the inaugural Yachine Trophy to reward the top goalkeeper, with the Liverpool man also finishing seventh in the overall Ballon d\u2019Or vote.<\/p>\n
Megan Rapinoe won the Women\u2019s Ballon d\u2019Or after leading the United States to the Women\u2019s World Cup title, scoring six goals and laying on three assists.<\/p>\n
England\u2019s Lucy Bronze came second as the Lyon full-back starred in the Lionesses\u2019 run to the semi-finals.<\/p>\n