Lionel Messi wins his 6th Golden Ball, an all-time record

Paris (AFP)

Argentina's Lionel Messi won his sixth Golden Ball on Monday, a record he is now the only one to hold ahead of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 32-year-old FC Barcelona striker has beaten Virgil Van Dijk and Sadio Mané, both of Liverpool's winners in the UEFA Champions League, to succeed Croatia's Luka Modric (Real Madrid) and Ronaldo. The Argentinian, winner of a single title this year (the Spanish Championship), is again crowned after 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015.

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