As Messi wins another Ballon d'Or, his evolution as a superstar continues

Despite all of his past success, Lionel Messi continues to raise his game. The result: a fifth Ballon d'Or trophy.

Ben Lyttleton | Jan 11, 2016

As Messi wins another Ballon d'Or, his evolution as a superstar continues /

So the experts know their stuff after all. Lionel Messi polled 41% of all votes to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or for a record fifth time Monday in Zurich. In a democratic vote that considers every FIFA country's national team coach, captain and one accredited journalist–a system that always throws up anomalies–Messi came out on top, as expected.

The surprise was that he missed out on a historic player/goal double. He was nominated for the Puskas award for his fantastic strike against Athletic Bilbao, but little-known Brazilian Wendell Lira won it. When 2007 winner Kaká–the last non-Messi/Ronaldo winner–announced Messi's name, there was no emphatic shout of "Siiiiiiiiiiiii!" as when Ronaldo won it last year; nor was there a sartorially brave suit choice, as Messi has donned in previous years (It was Neymar who took that accolade with his jauntily-angled trilby hat).

Messi, playing it safe in a smart black tuxedo, straight-batted the usual press conference and ceremony questions about his own brilliance and thanked his teammates. "It's an incredibly special moment for me to stand again on this stage, after being in the audience for the last couple of years watching Cristiano [win the trophy]," said Messi. "It's more than anything I ever dreamed of when I was a kid. Without my teammates none of this would have been possible. Football has made me grow and learn every day. Thank you."

MORE: Messi, Ronaldo omit each other again from Ballon ballots

Also on the day in Zurich, USA standout Carli Lloyd won Women’s Player of the Year, USA's Jill Ellis won Coach of the Year for Women's Football and Barcelona's Luis Enrique won Coach of the Year for Men's Football. And while the day was about honoring all of world soccer's best, the bulk of the spotlight belonged to Messi.

GALLERY: Photos of Messi's illustrious career

Best photos of Lionel Messi throughout the years

A young Lionel Messi poses for a photo in Argentina circa 1993.

Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring Argentina's second goal against Venezuela during a South American Under-20 Championship game on Jan. 13, 2005 in Armenia, Colombia.

Lionel Messi flips into a pool during a relaxed practice of Argentina's Under-20 soccer team on Jan. 14, 2005 in Pereira, Colombia.

Lionel Messi celebrates with the trophy after Argentina won the FIFA World Youth Championships over Nigeria on July 2, 2005 in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Lionel Messi poses with the Golden Boy trophy awarded by Italian magazine 'Tuttosport' distinguishing the best player under-21 on Dec. 14, 2005 in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Rafael Marquez celebrate after defeating Espanyol to win the Spanish League on May 6, 2006 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Khalid Boulahrouz and Lionel Messi challenge for the ball during the World Cup Group C soccer match between the Netherlands and Argentina on June 21, 2006 at the World Cup stadium in Frankfurt, Germany.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi scores with his hand during a Spanish League match against Espanyol on June 9, 2007 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Messi continued to draw comparisons with Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona who scored in similar fashion during a quarterfinal World Cup match against England in 1986.

Argentina's Lionel Messi plays the ball during the 2008 Summer Olympics Men's Soccer semifinal against Brazil on Aug. 19, 2008 at Beijing Workers' Stadium in China.

Lionel Messi speaks with the media upon his arrival at the Buenos Aires International Airport on May 30, 2009.

Argentina's Lionel Messi plays the ball during the FIFA World Cup Group B match against South Korea on June 17, 2010 at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Argentina head coach Diego Maradona talks with Lionel Messi as they celebrate their victory over South Korea in the FIFA World Cup Group B match on June 17, 2010 at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Argentina's Lionel Messi plays the ball during the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Mexico on June 27, 2010 at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Marcos Delgado/Clasos.com/LatinContent/Getty Images

Lionel Messi sits on the beach with girlfriend Antonella Rocuzzo on July 20, 2010 in Cancun, Mexico.

Lionel Messi and girlfriend Antonella Rocuzzo swim with dolphins at the Delphinus aquarium on July 24, 2010 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi from vies for the ball with Getafe's goalkeeper Jordi Codina during their La Liga match on Nov. 7, 2010 at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez in Getafe, near Madrid, Spain.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates after scoring against Real Madrid during their semifinal, 1st leg Champions League soccer match on April 27, 2011 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi reacts after scoring against Osasuna during their La Liga match on Sept. 17, 2011 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

2012-0421-Lionel-Messi-Pepe-Sergio-Ramos-Fabio-Coentrao.jpg — Daniel Ochoa de Olza/AP

Barcelona's Lionel Messi duels for the ball with Real Madrid's Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Fabio Coentrao during their La Liga match on April 21, 2012 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates with Gonzalo Higuain after scoring against Ecuador during their World Cup qualifying match on June 2, 2012 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Carlos M. Saavedra for Sports Illustrated

Argentina's Lionel Messi makes a header during an International Friendly against Brazil on June 9, 2012 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Real Madrid during their La Liga match on Oct. 7, 2012 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi smiles during a news conference after receiving his Golden Boot award in recognition for scoring the most goals in Europe's domestic leagues on Oct. 29, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain.

2013-0116-Lionel-Messi-FIFA-World-Player-of-the-Year-awards.jpg — Emilio Morenatti/AP

Barcelona's Lionel Messi poses with his four FIFA Men's World Player of the Year awards before a Copa del Rey match against Malaga on Jan. 16, 2013 at the Camp Nou stadium, in Barcelona, Spain. Messi received the award for a record-breaking fourth successive year.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi kicks the ball during their La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano on March 17, 2013 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring the opening goal during their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal match against Paris Saint-Germain on April 2, 2013 at Parc des Princes in Paris, France.

2013-0519-Lionel-Messi-son-Thiago-Spanish-League-trophy.jpg — David Ramos/Getty Images

Barcelona's Lionel Messi holds his son Thiago as they sit next to the trophy after winning the La Liga match against Real Valladolid on May 19, 2013 at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi plays the ball during their La Liga match against Espanyol on March 29, 2014 at Cornella-El Prat stadium in Cornella de Llobregat, Spain.

Argentina's Lionel Messi appears on the June 9, 2014 cover of the World Cup Preview Issue of Sports Illustrated.

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup Group F match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 15, 2014 at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates Angel di Maria and Marcos Rojo after scoring their first goal during the FIFA World Cup Group F match against Nigeria on June 25, 2014 at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Belgium's Vincent Kompany and Argentina's Lionel Messi fight for the ball during the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match on July 5, 2014 at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia, Brazil.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi scores his team's fourth goal during the La Liga match against Granada CF on Sept. 27, 2014 at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the La Liga match against Sevilla FC on Nov. 22, 2014 at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Alexander Hassenstein/FIFA via Getty Images

FIFA Ballon d'Or nominee Lionel Messi poses for a portrait prior to the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala on Jan. 12, 2015 at the Park Hyatt hotel in Zurich, Switzerland.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi attempts a bicycle kick against Valencia's Nicolas Otamendi during their La Liga match on April 18, 2015 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi plays with his son Thiago after the La Liga match against Deportivo La Coruna on May 23, 2015 at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi kisses the trophy after the Champions League final match victory over Juventus F.C. on June 6, 2015 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany.

Argentina's Lionel Messi kicks the ball during their Copa America semifinal match against Paraguay on June 30, 2015 at the Estadio Municipal de Concepcion in Chile.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi scores his side's second goal past Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny during their Group E Champions League match on Nov. 24, 2015 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

Messi poses for his second Sports Illustrated cover prior to the 2016 Copa America Centenario in the United States.

Messi jumps into the stands at Camp Nou to celebrate Barcelona's miracle comeback against PSG in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 on March 8, 2017.

Messi shows off the back of his jersey to Real Madrid fans who witnessed his last-second winner for Barcelona in a riveting Clasico at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 23, 2017.

Messi now has five Ballon D’Or wins to Ronaldo’s three. This one was no surprise, given that Barcelona won the treble last season, and capped that with the Club World Cup victory in December. While the raw numbers of Messi’s goalscoring (and indeed Ronaldo, who outscored his rival last year) are mind-boggling, this time the judges–made up of national team coaches, captains and one accredited journalist from each FIFA nation–must have considered the aesthetic as well.

Watch: Here’s why Lionel Messi won his fifth Ballon d’Or

Messi has the same killer instinct as Ronaldo, but his goals are on a different level; the goal against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final was one thing, but what about the dizzying dribble in the Champions League semifinal that left Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng in a heap, followed by the delicate close-range chip that had Manuel Neuer and Rafinha lying on the goalline and unable to stop? Huge games, huge goals.

“Does anyone really believe that the best way to describe Leo is by talking about his numbers?” asked Martin Mazur in a passionate column in El Grafico. “It is an unfair reduction of the beauty of his game.”

You can have the goals, the vines, even the trophies. What Messi has provided this year are those jaw-dropping moments, those ‘I saw that live’ memories, a level of majesty that can reduce Pep Guardiola to open-mouthed wonder (as when he nut-megged two Manchester City players in a Champions League tie in February).

It’s nine years since Messi first appeared on the Ballon D’Or podium, and he has not left it. At that time, we focused on his speed, his dribbling in tight spaces and his humility. As the seasons have gone by, he has responded to every criticism. He didn't score enough headers, until he did just that in the 2009 Champions League final. He didn't score enough free kicks, except he now does (19 in all, the same as Ronaldinho, including an in-off-the-crossbar beauty last week against Espanyol). He was not a leader, and too quiet in the dressing-room, which we now know is not true either, even if Javier Mascherano or someone else often does the talking for him.

LYTTLETON: Neymar continues ascension with Ballon d'Or nod

The expectation next year is that Neymar will step up and replace his Barcelona teammate. But don’t be too sure Messi is ready to give up just yet.

“He is obsessed about winning a title with the Argentine national team, so I think he will keep this galactic level until the 2018 World Cup,” said Hernan Claus of Diario Ole. “It’s up to him, but he is looking after his body better than ever.”

PODCAST: Carli Lloyd on her stellar 2015, meeting Messi

Experts in Brazil are not convinced that Neymar is ready to win it either.

“I cannot picture Neymar becoming the next Ballon D’Or,” Silvio Nascimento, sports editor of Veja, told SI.com. “He is not mature enough yet. It will depend on how Messi and even Ronaldo keep playing, but also on himself. If you watch carefully, you will see Neymar still playing this Brazilian style of dribbling when sometimes it is not needed. Even if he did win the Ballon D’Or, I reckon he wouldn’t be able to dominate as Messi has, simply because both Messi and Ronaldo will still be there.”

Even Pelé has spotted improvement areas in Neymar's game.

“He doesn’t know how to play backwards, he doesn’t know how to organize the game, he doesn’t know how to build-up. He has lots of deficits in his game,” Pelé said last year. “Neymar is a really good player but he’s not yet a complete one. Messi is definitely the best.”

With the Olympics, Copa America Centenario and the European Championships coming up this summer, the field of contenders for next year’s title might not be limited just to this year’s podium players. How unlucky is Luis Suarez to miss out on the top three? Could Gareth Bale fulfill the ambitions of his president Florentino Perez? This could be the year of Paul Pogba or Antoine Griezmann, of Thomas Muller or Mesut Ozil. The favorite, though, has to be Messi again.

In 2015, he made us reconsider his own brilliance. Even if he does not make it 10 years unbroken on the podium, we can surely now end the debate about who was the best ever.

Published Jan 11, 2016

BEN LYTTLETON

A journalist, broadcaster and consultant, Ben Lyttleton also wrote the book on PKs with his “Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Penalty Kick.”