Barcelona's Argentine forward Lionel Messi was on Monday named winner of the FIFA World Player award for the third successive year, dpa reported.
The 24-year-old, who made history by becoming the first Argentine player to win the award in 2009, beat off team-mate Xavi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.
The award crowns a successful year for Messi, who won the Spanish league, the Champions League and the World Club Cup, as well as the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups with Barcelona.