Messi takes Fifa Ballon d'Or

AWARDS:LIONEL MESSI won the Ballon d'Or for a second-successive year at a glittering award ceremony in Zurich last night.

Argentina star Messi was selected ahead of Barcelona team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta, who both won the World Cup with Spain last summer.

Messi (23) scored an astonishing 60 goals for club and country in 2010.

The Fifa Ballon d’Or was created this year following the merging of France Football magazine’s European Footballer of the Year prize with the Fifa World Player of the Year gong.

As such, it is awarded based on votes cast by journalists from around the world and coaches and captains of national teams.

Messi was the holder of both titles and therefore joins former Brazil strikers Ronaldo and Rivaldo and France legend Zinedine Zidane as a multiple winner of the latter accolade.

Jose Mourinho was named Coach of the Year ahead of World Cup-winning Spain boss Vicente del Bosque and Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola for leading Inter Milan to an unprecedented Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia treble.

There was disappointment for Glentoran’s Matty Burrows who lost out to Hamit Altintop in the Goal of the Year prize.

Men's Player of the Year:Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina).

Women's Player of the Year:Marta (FC Gold Pride, Santos and Brazil).

Men's Coach of the Year:Jose Mourinho (Inter Milan and Real Madrid).

Women's Coach of the Year: Silvia Neid (Germany).

World XI: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid and Spain); Maicon (Inter Milan and Brazil), Gerard Pique (Barcelona and Spain), Lucio (Inter Milan and Brazil), Carles Puyol (Barcelona and Spain); Andres Iniesta (Barcelona and Spain), Xavi (Barcelona and Spain), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan and Netherlands); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal), David Villa (Barcelona and Spain), Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina).

Puskas Award (Goal of the Year): Hamit Altintop (Kazakhstan v Turkey).

Fair Play Award:Haiti Women Under-17s.

Presidential Award:Desmond Tutu.