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| Lionel Messi |
Barcelona's Lionel Messi has become the first player to scoop the Ballon d'Or award on four occasions, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta.
The 25-year-old Argentina skipper was handed the prestigious FIFA prize in Zurich for a stunning 2012 in which he surpassed Gerd Muller's 40-year-old record with 91 goals in a calendar year over 69 matches.
Only France's Zinedine Zidane and Brazilian Ronaldo have had their hands on the trophy three times.
An emotional Messi, handed the trophy by Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro, said: "To tell you the truth, this is unbelievable to get this fourth award.
"I would like to recognise my colleagues from Barcelona It is a proud moment to be at your side today and I would like to recognise my friends from the Argentina team, the coaches and staff. I would also like to thank my family and friends."
As Messi's tricks dazzled the world's defences throughout last year, football records tumbled. In March he became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match as Barcelona crushed Benfica 7-1.
The club's all-time scoring record was then broken with a hat-trick against Granada, and 14 goals in the 2011-12 Champions League broke the mark he had shared with former Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
In May, Messi broke former Bayern Munich striker Mueller's record of 67 goals in a single European season, eventually finishing the campaign with 73.
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