Sports
        

Top News

Messi, Mourinho spoil Spanish party at FIFA award ceremony

Updated: 2011-01-11 09:49

(Agencies)

Twitter Facebook Myspace Yahoo! Linkedin Mixx
Messi, Mourinho spoil Spanish party at FIFA award ceremony

Lionel Messi of Argentina, FIFA World Player of the Year holds his FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 trophy during the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 soccer awards ceremony in Zurich, Jan 10, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

ZURICH - Argentina's Lionel Messi won the World Player of the Year for the second time in a row on Monday and Jose Mourinho walked off with the coach's award, leaving Spain's World Cup winners disappointed.

Related readings:
Messi, Mourinho spoil Spanish party at FIFA award ceremony Messi, Ronaldo light up European goal show
Messi, Mourinho spoil Spanish party at FIFA award ceremony Little Messi shoulders big weight for his club
Messi, Mourinho spoil Spanish party at FIFA award ceremony Golden awards for top FIFA World Cup Trio
Messi, Mourinho spoil Spanish party at FIFA award ceremony Messi brace sends nervy Barcelona top

Messi surprisingly held off Barcelona team mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi, second and third respectively, to win the newly-created FIFA Ballon D'Or, a fusion of the previously separate annual awards handed out by FIFA and France Football magazine.

Mourinho, now with Real Madrid, won the inaugural Coach of the Year award after leading Inter Milan to a Champions League, Serie A and Italian Cup treble.

The honour went to the self-styled Special One, who described himself afterwards as "proudly Portuguese", at the expense of Spain's World Cup-winning coach Vicente del Bosque, second, and Barcelona's Pep Guardiola, third.

"The most important trophies for me are the collective ones, not the individual ones but this is a historic trophy for me and Portuguese football," Mourinho told reporters after edging Del Bosque with 35.92 percent of the votes against 33.08.

Messi, Mourinho spoil Spanish party at FIFA award ceremony

Lionel Messi of Argentina, FIFA World Player of the Year makes a speech as he stands next to his FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 trophy during the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 soccer awards ceremony in Zurich, Jan 10, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

   Previous Page 1 2 3 4 5 Next Page  

E-paper

Ear We Go

China and the world set to embrace the merciful, peaceful year of rabbit

Preview of the coming issue
Carrefour finds the going tough in China
Maid to Order

European Edition

Specials

Mysteries written in blood

Historical records and Caucasian features of locals suggest link with Roman Empire.

Winning Charm

Coastal Yantai banks on little things that matter to grow

New rules to hit property market

The State Council launched a new round of measures to rein in property prices.

Top 10 of 2010
China Daily in Europe
The Confucius connection