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Barcelona's Lionel Messi was awarded the prestigious Ballon d'Or by France Football Magazine after a fabulous 2008-09 season. There was no real competition for the young Argentine as he was given a record 473 out of a possible 480 points by journalists from all over the world. His nearest competitor , Cristiano Ronaldo was a massive 240 points behind him. He is also the first Argentine to have be awarded this honour.

Messi was instrumental in Barca's treble last season under Pep Guardiola as the Catalan giants bagged the La Liga, the Copa Del Rey and the UEFA Champions League titles. His sterling performance throughout the season saw him score 23 goals in La Liga and 9 in the Champions League which included Barca's second goal against Manchester United in its Champions League final victory in Rome.

Messi told France Football: "There's lots of emotion - the Ballon d'Or is very important for me...for me it's a big honour to win - but also to become the first Argentinian in history to receive the trophy. I dedicate it to my family, they were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me."

La Pulga "the Flea" as he is nicknamed had already taken 2nd and 3rd place in previous year's rankings for the award before finally winning it this year, going to show how consistently the 22-year old has performed and also how much he has improved over the course of time.

With club glory already on his list of achievements, national glory at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa will be next in Messi's sights. Already proclaimed as Maradona's heir by the legend himself, he will be eager to prove his coach and the World right, that he is the truly the best there is.