Argentina star Lionel Messi has cemented his status as the greatest player on the planet by becoming the first player to win FIFA's prestigious Ballon d'Or title on four separate occasions, CNN reports.
The Barcelona forward, who broke a number of records in 2012, beat teammate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo to an award voted for by national coaches, captains and journalists.
The 25-year-old polled 41.60% of the votes, ahead of Ronaldo on 23.68% and Iniesta with 10.91%, to win his fourth title in a row.
Messi's fourth FIFA crown elevates him above the two players with three titles apiece: former Brazil forward Ronaldo (1996, 1997, 2002) and Frenchman Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000, 2003).
Vicente del Bosque -- whose Spain side became the first team to successfully defend the European Championship -- was named Coach of the Year.
The 62-year-old won 34.51% of the vote, with Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho second (20.49%) and Messi's former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola third (12.91%), CNN informs.
United States striker Abby Wambach won the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award for the first time while her former coach, Pia Sundhage, who led the U.S. to its second Olympic gold medal at London 2012, was named Women's Coach of the Year. Sundhage is now in charge of Sweden's women's team.
The FIFA Ballon d'Or was awarded for the third time following the 2010 amalgamation of the FIFA World Player of the Year award with the France Football Ballon d'Or, which was popularly known as the European Footballer of the Year award, CNN reports.

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