Messi is finally reaping the rewards of the historic 2008-2009 season he experienced with Barcelona. Winning the Primera League title, the Spanish Copa del Rey, and the Champions League definitely did not go unnoticed, and the players at Barcelona are being rewarded.
The most prominent of these players, 22-year-old striker Lionel Messi, was named the 2009 Balon d'Or winner, succeeding Real Madrid midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo, who won it when he was playing with Manchester United.
The Balon d'Or is awarded to the soccer player who receives the most votes from sports journalists all across Europe, and is presented by the French soccer magazine "France Football."
Messi, who amassed 473 votes, buried runner-up Ronaldo, who accumulated only 233 votes. Xavi of Barcelona was second runner-up with 170 votes, while Andres Iniesta, also of Barcelona, received 149, placing him in 4th.
Messi is the first Argentinian ever to win the Balon d'Or, and the fifth South American to claim the title.
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