Barcelona star Lionel Messi has won the 2015 Ballon d’Or prize for the greatest player on the planet.
It would be recalled that five days ago, FIFA accidentally announced Messi and Celia Sasic as Ballon d’Or winners on their website?
Football fans across the globe wondered if FIFA accidentally leaked the winners of the Ballon d’Or on their website.
Football’s world governing body momentarily placed Lionel Messi and Celia Sasic at the summit of their list of winners on their website, alongside the year 2015. Their names were swiftly removed.
Argentine Messi, who helped his team to a Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey treble during 2015, is the hot favourite to win the award which will be presented at a gala ceremony in Zurich.
His achievements led to him receiving 58million mentions on Twitter between January 1 and December 31, 2015 – 27m more than Real Madrid forward Ronaldo who is also in contention for the prize.
Wendell Lira won the Puskas award.The team goal of the three, but one that still has a magnificent finish at the end of it, Wendell Lira’s strike is a joy to watch.
After playing the ball into a team-mate on the edge of the box, Lira runs through the defence, dummies the return pass, and eventually receives a delightful chip with his back to goal.
Barely breaking stride the Brazilian unleashes a peach of a bicycle kick past the goalkeeper, the perfect end to a wonderful move, which earned his side a 2-1 win.
Ronaldo seized the opportunity to tackle his doubters and insisted his determination to win the Ballon D’Or in 2016 is stronger than ever.
The Real Madrid forward conceded that, having not won a trophy in 2015, he is unlikely to finish ahead of Lionel Messi and Neymar when the world’s best player is crowned at a gala presentation here in Zurich on Monday night.
Ronaldo – who dodged a question about whether he could see himself playing in France, following persistent links with Paris St Germain – scored 54 goals in 52 games for Madrid in 2015 but there is a perception that the quality of his performances are beginning to wane.