Messi named player of year for third straight time

ZURICH (AP) ― Already considered one of soccer’s greats at age 24, Lionel Messi became the first person to win FIFA player of the year three times in a row.

The Barcelona and Argentina forward received the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for 2011, winning out over club teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo for the sport’s top individual honor.

“It’s a huge pleasure for me,” Messi said, after accepting the trophy from another three-time winner, retired Brazilian forward Ronaldo. “It’s the third time I get this award, and it’s a huge honor.”

The only other three-time winners are Ronaldo (1996-97 and 2002) and Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000 and 2003). The FIFA award was renamed last year, when it merged with France Football’s Golden Ball

Messi scored 55 goals in 2011 for Barcelona, which won its third Champions League title in six seasons, and he had four goals for Argentina’s national team. Barcelona won five trophies last year,

Messi received 47.88 percent of the points in votes cast by national team coaches and captains plus selected reporters. Cristiano Ronaldo finished second with 21.6 percent and Xavi got 9.23 percent to finish third for the third straight year.

“This one is very special because I want to share this with my friend and teammate Xavi. He deserves it,” Messi said.

On a night of Barcelona dominance, the Catalan club inflicted another defeat on its great rival Madrid in the men’s coach of the year award.

Barca’s Pep Guardiola was chosen ahead of Madrid’s Jose Mourinho and Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson. Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend, as Madrid plays a Spanish Cup match Tuesday in Malaga.

In the women’s award, Homare Sawa of Japan ended Brazilian forward Marta’s five-year reign as the top player. American Abby Wambach was a finalist.

Sawa led Japan to win the 2011 Women’s World Cup and adds the FIFA prize to her tournament best player and top scorer trophies.

A major international tournament victory is all that now eludes Messi.

Guardiola and Ferguson agreed at an earlier news conference that Messi should be considered alongside Pele, Diego Maradona and Alfredo di Stefano.

“Now he can sit beside them. It’s a huge award, no?” Guardiola said.