Messi wins record fifth Ballon d'Or award

It is no surprise Lionel Messi beat Cristiano Ronaldo to claim his fifth Ballon d'Or award at the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or awards ceremony
For the last eight years, Messi and Ronaldo have shared the Ballon d'Or between them but this year, the Barcelona striker won with 41.33 percent of the votes while Ronaldo's share was 27.76 percent.
In history, only four players have managed to win the Ballon d'Or as many as three times: Johann Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten and Cristiano Ronaldo. Read more in our latest infographic feature in The Week.