On that evening in Zurich, Switzerland, one of the most important football events took place. The best male and female footballer of 2015 were elected there.
The evening began with the presentation of the "Ballon d'Or" candidates, and then the best men's team of 2015 took the stage. It was chosen by footballers from around the world, and the awards were presented by former "Barcelona" striker Samuel Eto'o.
Symbolic team:
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (Munich "Bayern").
Defenders: Marcelo, Sergio Ramos (both Madrid "Real"), Thiago Silva ("Paris Saint-Germain"), Dani Alves ("Barcelona").
Midfielders: Andres Iniesta ("Barcelona"), Luka Modric (Madrid "Real"), Paul Pogba (Turin "Juventus").
Forwards: Neymar, Lionel Messi (both "Barcelona"), Cristiano Ronaldo (Madrid "Real").
The best women's coach was recognized as Jill Ellis, who led the USA national team to victory in the world championship. Interestingly, she was the only woman among the three remaining candidates.
In the men's coach category, the laureate was Luis Enrique, the coach of "Barcelona," who triumphed in the Spanish championships, the King's Cup, and the UEFA Champions League.
After the coaches, former "Schalke" fullback Gerald Asamoah took the stage. The German national team member, originally from Ghana, spoke about the refugee crisis shaking Europe. The "Fair Play" award was dedicated to football organizations supporting refugees.
The Ferenc Puskas Trophy went to "Atletico GO" striker Wendell Lira, who scored an incredible goal, outperforming Lionel Messi and Alessandro Florenzi.
The most powerful female footballer of 2015 was US national team captain Carli Lloyd, leaving behind German national team striker Celia Sasic and Japanese Aya Miyama.
The men's "Golden Ball" saw competition between "Barcelona" forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar, and Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been the best for the past two seasons.
At the climax of the evening, the 2007 laureate, former "Real Madrid" and "Milan" fullback Kaka, presented the "Ballon d'Or" trophies to Lionel Messi, for whom this was already the fifth such award.
As mentioned, Messi with "Barcelona" became the strongest in Spain and Europe, scoring 52 goals and providing 26 assists.
In his brief speech, the striker mentioned not even dreaming of five "Ballon d'Or" awards in his childhood. It only remains to speculate on what lies ahead for the 28-year-old player.
Enjoy the top 10 goals scored by Messi last year:
