Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi was crowned the winner of the 2015 Ballon d'Or at Tuesday's lavish ceremony in Zurich.

The 28-year-old beat competition from Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and his Barca team-mate Neymar to the game's most prestigious individual award, winning it for a fifth time in his career.

"It's a very special moment for me to be back here on the stage, winning again after being in the audience to see Ronaldo win for the last two years," the 28-year-old said after receiving his award.

"It's incredible that it's my fifth. It's much more than I ever dreamed of as a kid. I want to thank all of my teammates and those who voted for me. This would not have been possible without the team.

"And I want to thank football in general for everything it has given me during my life, both the good things and the bad things."

Messi was the hot favourite for the accolade voted for by international captains, coaches and a selection of media representatives from around the world having helped Barcelona to an historic treble of the Spanish Primera League, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League in a 2014-2015 season in which he netted 58 goals in all competitions.

The start of the forward's 2015-2016 campaign was disrupted by a knee injury, but he returned in time to help Luis Enrique's men win the FIFA Club World Cup, scoring in the final against River Plate in December.

Luis Enrique was also awarded the World Coach of the Year for men's football, but wasn't in Zurich to accept the award.

At international level, Messi captained Argentina to the Copa America final, where it was beaten by host nation Chile in a penalty shootout one year after losing out in the FIFA World Cup final to Germany.

Messi's five Ballon d'Or wins put him well clear at the top of the list of the accolades winners. No other player has won more than three titles, an accomplishment that has been achieved by Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marco van Basten.

The Argentine's victory ends a run of two consecutive wins for Ronaldo in 2013 and 2014. The two El Clasico rivals have won the past eight awards between them since Kaka's triumph in 2007.