Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi and Megan Rapinoe win awards

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or award for the world's best player for a sixth time.

It's the Barcelona forward's first Ballon d'Or since 2015.

Messi has had a very good year scoring 54 times for his club and country, leading Barca to win La Liga.

The 32-year-old's win means the Ballon d'Or award has been won by a player from Spain's La Liga for the last 11 years.

The Ballon d'Or is a prize awarded by football magazine France Football.

The 30-man list of nominees is made by staff at the magazine and the winner is voted for by journalists from around the world.

Accepting the award, Messi said: "You must never stop dreaming but always work to improve and continue to enjoy. I am very lucky, I am blessed.

"I hope to continue for a long time. I realise that I am very lucky, even if, one day, retirement will ring. It will be difficult.

"But I still have beautiful years ahead of me. Time goes very quickly, so I want to enjoy football and my family."

Liverpool player Virgil van Dijk was second and Cristiano Ronaldo, who's won the award five times, came third.

For the women's game USA Superstar Megan Rapinoe won the Golden Ball.

Her year hasn't been too shabby either, Rapinoe led team USA to a second successive World Cup win in 2019.

England defender Lucy Bronze finished second.