Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo was second, the third time the 2008 winner has finished runner-up, and Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta was third as Spain again missed out.
Barcelona great Lionel Messi's new mark of 86 goals in a calendar year could last another 40 years, previous record holder Gerd Mueller said on Monday.
Lionel Messi scored twice and Luis Suarez struck his first La Liga goal as Barcelona crushed struggling Cordoba 5-0 on Saturday.
Lionel Messi was hailed by his coach as the world's best player after he scored Barcelona's second goal in their 2-0 Champions League final victory over Manchester United and ended as the competition's top scorer. The match in Rome had been hyped as a duel between the world's two best players, Argentine Messi and United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo was largely ineffective apart from an early flourish and it was Messi who came out on top.
Lionel Messi scored twice to help Barcelona shake off the disappointment of their midweek Champions League semi-final exit with a 4-1 victory at Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday.
Salah's strikes brought him to a remarkable 43 goals in all competitions this season, keeping him at the front of the list of top scorers in Europe
Lionel Messi is on course for a record-equalling third consecutive Ballon d'Or, soccer's highest individual award, after the Argentine forward was among the three shortlisted nominees named on Monday.
Reigning champions France take on Argentina in a showpiece final at Lusail Stadium with both teams looking to add a third star to their crest.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group C match played between Argentina and Poland on Wednesday.
It's good news for football-crazy fans of the city. Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and his teammates will play a FIFA official international friendly against Venezuela at Salt Lake's Yuba Bharati Krirangan on September 2.
Lionel Messi scored two late goals on Saturday as leaders Barcelona won 3-0 away to Hercules, their 15th consecutive victory matching the La Liga record set by Real Madrid in the 1960-61 season.
A Chelsea deal for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi would be impossible under financial fair play rules, assistant coach Steve Holland said on Friday.
Substitute Lionel Messi scored his 38th goal for Argentina as they breezed past Slovenia 2-0 in their final World Cup warmup on Saturday.
Lionel Messi became the first Argentine to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award on Monday. The 22-year-old forward, who also landed the European Footballer of the Year prize earlier this month, picked up the accolade after collecting four major titles with Barcelona -- the Champions League, the Club World Cup, La Liga and the King's Cup.
After enthralling the city's soccer fans for five days, the Lionel Messi-led Argentine team on Monday headed for Dhaka for a friendly match against Nigeria, winding up a historic trip to India during which the talismanic striker led his team for the first time in an international game.
Argentina's Lionel Messi won the World Player of the Year for the second time in a row on Monday and Jose Mourinho walked off with the coach's award, leaving Spain's World Cup winners disappointed.
The normally loyal Madrid-based sports papers rounded on Pepe on Thursday after the Real Madrid defender's stamp on Lionel Messi's hand during Wednesday's King's Cup quarter-final first leg defeat by Barcelona.
Lionel Messi has clearly become disenchanted with life at Barcelona.
Rediff.com brings you the best quotes of the day from Brazil!
Cristiano Ronaldo will serve his suspension before making his league debut for his new Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr but he could play against Paris St Germain in a friendly this month.
Lionel Messi scored a goal and played a role in the other as defending Olympic champions Argentina beat the Netherlands 2-1 in extra time on Saturday to reach the soccer semi-finals. Argentina will play Brazil in the semi-final in Beijing on Aug. 19. Nigeria will face Belgium in Shanghai in the other semi-final.
Argentina's Lionel Messi has unfinished business going into the Centenary Copa America that is being staged in the United States with the Barcelona star keen to help his nation capture a first major title in 23 years.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi reached another milestone in his amazing career on Saturday when he became the first player to score 60 goals in a season in European top-flight soccer in almost 40 years.
Lionel Messi created two goals to inspire Argentina to a 3-1 international friendly win over Nigeria in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Now, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo venturing into smaller leagues as they near the end of their brilliant careers, 2024 may finally be the year for the next in line in football royalty.
Barcelona hit out at the referee and his assistants for failing to award Lionel Messi's first half 'goal' in an action-packed 1-1 draw at Liga title rivals Valencia on Sunday.
Lionel Messi marked his first match as Argentina captain with a win as they beat an ultra defensive Greece side 2-0 and cruised into the World Cup second round as Group B winners putting the Greeks out on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi took their remarkable scoring achievements to new heights when they jointly set a record for La Liga goals in a season of 41 on Saturday.
Barcelona fell to a first home defeat in any competition for more than two years
After the disappointing show at the Copa America, Argentina's recently-appointed football coach Alejandro Sabella is keen to rebuild the team around Lionel Messi that will begin their campaign for the 2014 World Cup with Wednesday's FIFA international friendly against Venezuela.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi brought back memories of outstanding performances by his Argentine compatriots Diego Maradona and Ricky Villa at Wembley with his match-winning display in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Lionel Messi had to wait 12 years and endure a goal drought of eight games against Chelsea but he finally broke his duck in Tuesday's 1-1 Champions League last 16, first leg draw.
Quicksilver Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona beat Getafe 2-0 and qualified 6-0 on aggregate for the King's Cup quarter-finals but they lost Neymar to injury midway through the first half.
Lionel Messi scored four as Barcelona came from behind to thrash Valencia 5-1 at home, closing the gap on La Liga leaders Real Madrid back to 10 points on Sunday.
Lionel Messi broke the deadlock and Luis Suarez scored twice in the second half to give Barcelona a typically emphatic 3-0 win over River Plate in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.
Lionel Messi turned 26 on Monday having claimed every prize as a player bar the World Cup but facing new challenges that will test the Argentine's skills off the pitch as much as on it.
Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez, club mates at Barcelona, sparkled as Argentina and Chile put behind them a weekend to forget with victories in the South American 2014 World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi reclaimed the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for the world player of the year on Monday from his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo who had walked off with the award for the previous two years.
Lionel Messi is like water in the desert, Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said after his team beat Belgium 1-0 to reach the World Cup semi-finals on Saturday.
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