Lionel Messi named UEFA Best Player

Monaco - The Barcelona star beat Luis Suarez, his teammate at the Champions League winner, and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo in a Europe-wide poll of journalists.

 Lionel Messi added another individual trophy to his collection on Thursday, being voted UEFA's Best Player in Europe for last season.
The Barcelona star beat Luis Suarez, his teammate at the Champions League winner, and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo in a Europe-wide poll of journalists.
Messi, the four-time Fifa world player of the year, got the UEFA honour after a season-long duel with Ronaldo for the Champions League scoring record. Both resume this season on 77 goals.
Suarez, who scored the decisive second goal in the 3-1 final win over Juventus, reached the shortlist despite starting his season in late-October. The Uruguay forward served a FIFA ban for biting at the 2014 World Cup.
Launched in 2011, the UEFA award previously went to Messi, Andres Iniesta, Franck Ribery and Ronaldo.
Spanish giants FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi was declared winner of the European football governing body Uefa's goal of the season for 2014-2015 on Thursday.
Messi scored a stunning goal against German champions Bayern Munich in the Champions League first leg match of the semifinal on April 6.
The match was locked goalless till 77 minutes, then two goals from Messi and one from Neymar secured a spectacular 3-0 win for Barcelona at their home ground.
The Argentine left Bayern defender Jerome Boateng floundering before deftly chipping the ball over goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to score his second goal of the match and put Barcelona into a commanding first-leg lead in their semifinal.
The Argentine skipper earned 39 percent of the 507478 number of votes polled.