Lionel Messi Named World Player Of The Year In World Soccer Awards

Lionel Messi is World Soccer’s World Player of the Year for 2019, edging out Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk in one of the closest contests of recent times. It is Messi’s fifth World Soccer award – after victories in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015 – equalling the achievement of his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi’s astonishing form for Spanish title-winners Barcelona gave him the edge over the Champions League-winning Liverpool and Holland defender in a poll of journalists and pundits from around the world.

Messi won a 10th Liga title with Barca in May, but they were surprisingly beaten by Valencia in the Final of the Copa del Rey. And despite a wonderful performance from the Argentinian against Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, they were beaten by an incredible comeback from Van Dijk and his team-mates in the return leg at Anfield.

In the summer’s Copa America, Messi’s Argentina lost to hosts Brazil in the semi-finals and suffered from some questionable refereeing in the third-place play-off against Chile, when Messi was controversially sent

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