Five for Messi

ZURICH (AP):

Now score it. Lionel Messi five, Cristiano Ronaldo three. Messi won the Ballon d'Or trophy yesterday as the world's best player in 2015, ending Cristiano Ronaldo's two-year hold on football's top individual honour.

"It's incredible that it's my fifth," said the 28-year-old Barcelona and Argentina forward, who won four straight FIFA awards from 2009-12.

Messi earned his record-extending fifth after being runner-up to his great rival for the past two years.

Five major titles for Barcelona last year leaving none for Ronaldo's Real Madrid brought the golden ball back into Messi's hands. It was not even close.

Messi got 41.33 percent of total voting points in a 23-candidate ballot. Ronaldo received 27.76 per cent and third-place Neymar, Messi's Barcelona teammate from Brazil, got 7.86 per cent.

Voting was by national team captains and coaches, plus invited journalists, from FIFA member countries.

The women's award was won by the American captain Carli Lloyd and coach Jill Ellis.