Lionel Messi yesterday won the fifth Ballon d'Or of his career after those he brought home in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. "I thank football for what it has given me for better or for worse - said the Argentine star at moment of the award – It's a special moment for me to come back here again after admiring Cristiano Ronaldo for two years. The fifth Ballon d'Or is much more than I could have dreamed of when I was a kid. I have to thank those who voted for me, my teammates and football."
Third place went to Neymar, second to Cristiano Ronaldo, winner of three Ballon d'Ors so far: “I'm here for personal merits... I haven't won anything – said the Portuguese -, but I earned it. I scored 516 goals in my career and you can see them all on video. What would I like from Messi? His left foot. Mine is not bad, but his is better ”.
The Italy coach, Antonio Conte, and the captain, Gigi Buffon, did not participate in the voting for the Ballon d'Or. The two followed the line dictated by Tavecchio's Football Federation, which chose not to vote in protest against the exclusion of the Italian goalkeeper from the list of 59 initial candidates for the award.
