Lionel Messi after 6th Ballon d'Or: Moment to retire is getting closer

Paris Lionel Messi said he hoped to carry on undimmed by age after claiming a record sixth mens Ballon dOr award at the age of 32 in Paris on Monday while USA World Cup superstar Megan Rapinoe took the womens prizeRapinoe was not at the Chatelet Theatre in the French capital unable to make the trip back to the country where she led the USA to victory in JulyHowever Messi was there with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo and two of their children It is Messis first Ballon dOr since 2015 and his sixth overall as he moves one ahead of old rival Cristiano RonaldoIt is 10 years since I won my first Ballon dOr here in Paris and I remember coming here with my three brothers I was 22 and it was all unthinkable for me what I was going through Messi said on stage after receiving the award from last years winner Luka ModricRetirement is closerI hope I have several years left to keep enjoying my football I am aware of the age I have and these moments are all the more enjoyable because the moment when I have to retire is getting closer and that is difficult All going well Ill have several years left but at the moment time seems to be flying and everything is happening very quickly I hope to keep enjoying my football my family facing my rivals and all of this life that I haveLiverpools Alisson Becker clinches the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeperThe Barcelona No 10 won this years prizemdashorganised by France Football magazine and voted for by a panel of journalists from around the worldmdashahead of Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk with Ronaldo thirdVan Dijk second Ronaldo thirdIt is the first time since 2010 that Ronaldo has failed to rank in the top two Having starred in the Liverpool team that won the Champions League Van Dijk finished second to Messi just as he did in the voting for FIFAs equivalent prize The Best in SeptemberUnfortunately there are a couple of players like him who are a bit unnatural Six times Ballon dOrmdashyou need to respect greatness as well said Van DijkVan Dijk was one of four Liverpool players in the top 10 with Sadio Mane fourth Mohamed Salah fifth and goalkeeper Alisson seventh The latter won a new prize for the goalkeeper of the year named after former USSR icon Lev YashinJuventus Matthijs de Ligt with the Kopa Trophy for the best U21 playerMessi has scored 46 goals in 54 matches so far in 2019 and netted 36 times in total in 34 La Liga matches last season as Barcelona won the title He did not enjoy a successful Copa America with Argentina but was also the top scorer in last seasons Champions League with 12 goalsAs if any reminder of his brilliance were required on Sunday he scored a wonderful late winner for Barcelona against Atletico MadridThis is just the second year that a womens Ballon dOrmdashvoted for by 48 journalistsmdashhas been awarded with Rapinoe succeeding Norways Ada HegerbergRapinoe was the star of the Womens World Cup on and off the field winning the Golden Boot for top scorer with six goals and Golden Ball for best playerUSAs Megan Rapinoe wins the womenrsquos Ballon drsquoOr award in Paris PicsAFPShe scored the opening goal as the USA beat the Netherlands 20 in the final But the 34yearold feminist icon made headlines with her outspoken criticism of US President Donald Trump during the tournament and has led calls for her team to be paid the same as their male counterparts Its been an incredible year said Rapinoe in a video messageCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever