The 22-year-old forward, who also landed the European Footballer of the Year prize earlier this month, picked up the accolade after collecting four major titles with Barcelona - the Champions League, the Club World Cup, La Liga and the King's Cup.
"This finishes a magnificent year for Barcelona, my team mates and for me," said Messi after receiving the trophy from UEFA president and former France international Michel Platini.
The Argentine, who joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000, claimed 1,073 points in a poll of 147 national team coaches and captains.
Portugal and Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo, last year's winner, was a distant second with 352 points followed by Spain and Barcelona midfielder Xavi (196).
Messi was leading scorer in the 2008-09 Champions League, hitting nine goals including one in the 2-0 final win over Manchester United.
He also notched the extra-time winner in the 2-1 Club World Cup final victory over Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Messi's vote appeared to be entirely based on his club form as his performances for Argentina, under coach Diego Maradona, were largely disappointing.
Argentina struggled to qualify for the World Cup and their results this year included a 6-1 hammering in Bolivia and defeats by Paraguay and Ecuador.
Before the ceremony, Messi told reporters he could not explain why he failed to perform at the same level for his country.
Messi wins Fifa Player of Year award
Slovenian Borut Bozic landed the best stage victory of his career by winning the 176.8-km sixth leg of the Tour of Spain on Friday.The Vacansoleil rider crossed the finish line well clear of American Tyler Farrar and former race leader Daniele Bennati of Italy.The sprinters are dominating the overall standings with German Andre Greipel in first place, six seconds ahead of Belgian Tom Boonen and nine seconds in front of Bennati in third."This is a major breakthrough," Bozic told reporters. "The key to winning was being well positioned behind Farrar and Boonen and then accelerating away 250 metres from the line."Nobody expected me to start my move so far from the finish and I was able to take the biggest victory of my career."The 29-year-old Bozic said cycling in Slovenia was a minority sport, which made it tough to carve out his career path."I've only ever raced in smaller teams and that means you have to fight harder and win more in order to succeed," he said.
When Chelsea dangled its wealth and star players in front of him, Gael Kakuta did what any teenage footballing prodigy from a modest background might do: He lost his head. The contract he had signed with the French club that nurtured him from age 8 was cast aside. For that, Kakuta and Chelsea are now paying a very heavy price.''He cracked, as one would crack for a pretty woman,'' says Eric Assadourian, who coached the preciously talented and swift Kakuta before Chelsea snapped him up at age 16. ''He fell -- quote, unquote -- in love. It was a bolt of lightning.''''Meeting (Michael) Ballack, (Didier) Drogba and the others, it was his dream,'' adds Assadourian, referring to Chelsea's star-studded lineup. ''It was very tough to hold him back.''In punishing Chelsea for allegedly luring the youngster away from French side Lens, football's guardians at governing body FIFA are sending a powerful warning to the giants of the game in England and elsewhere that their wealth and clout doesn't give them license to do whatever they please.However harshly Chelsea feels it has been treated, the more important principle is that teams -- from the grass roots up -- must be adequately rewarded for the time and money they invest in rearing football's players of tomorrow. Lens, a modest first-division club in France's industrial north, spends richly on training young players and can't afford to see them simply walk out the door.
World champions Italy could lead a procession of as many as seven European countries into next year's World Cup in South Africa over the next few days.Netherlands are the only European side certain of a place in the finals and Italy, Denmark, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England and Serbia are well placed to join them.All nine group winners qualify for the finals with the eight best runners-up entering the two-legged playoffs in November.But Italian coach Marcello Lippi, whose side visit bottom-placed Georgia Saturday and host Bulgaria in Turin next Wednesday in Group Eight, is taking nothing for granted
Barcelona Wins Champions League Final
With an incessant attack and a focus on possession, Barcelona defeated the defending champion, Manchester United, 2-0 to win the European Champions League title, Europe's most prestigious club soccer tournament. Samuel Eto'o drew first for Barcelona, scoring in the 10th minute off the left hand of Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, giving Barcelona the only goal it would need
Penguins Win the Stanley Cup
Knicks’ Long-Term Plans for 2010 Foil Free-Agent Signings
But the Knicks’ checkbook never left his hip pocket, and Walsh, the team president, summed up his summer with three words: “Busy, but restricted.”It has been an awkward off-season for Walsh, whose short-term goals were repeatedly short-circuited by his long-term agenda. He is committed to clearing salary-cap space in 2010, making it difficult to sign players in 2009. He has yet to re-sign his own top free agents, David Lee and Nate Robinson (although that will probably happen soon).
