( CNN ) -- Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has been named the best player in Europe , becoming the first Argentine to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award on Tuesday . Last year 's winner Cristiano Ronaldo came second , with Messi 's teammates from Barcelona 's historic 2008-09 treble-winning side -- Spain midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta plus Cameroon striker Samuel Eto ' o ( now at Inter Milan ) -- rounding out the top five . The 22-year-old Messi helped the Catalan giants to the Spanish La Liga and European Champions League titles as well as the Copa Del Rey , while his Argentina side scraped into the World Cup finals after finishing fourth in their South American qualifying campaign . Messi told France Football magazine , organizers of the award , that he knew he was `` among the favorites because Barcelona had a profitable year . '' `` For me it 's a big honor to win -- but also to become the first Argentinian in history to receive the trophy , '' he said . `` I dedicate it to my family , they were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me . '' Messi is the first Barcelona player to win the award since Brazilian forward Ronaldinho took it in 2005 , and the sixth to have won it while at the club . He dominated the Ballon d'Or voting , polling 473 votes compared to second-placed Ronaldo 's 233 , and 27 more than the Real Madrid and Portugal winger received when he won it in 2008 for his exploits while with Manchester United . The rest of the top-10 was completed by : Brazil playmaker Kaka , Real Madrid 's summer signing from AC Milan ; Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic , who joined Barcelona from Inter in the off-season ; England forward Wayne Rooney of United ; Chelsea 's Ivory Coast frontman Didier Drogba ; and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard of England . The award was only open to European players before 1995 , and that year AC Milan 's Liberian star George Weah became the first from outside the continent to win it . Argentina-born Alfredo Di Stefano was named Europe 's top player twice in the 1950s while at Real Madrid , but had acquired Spanish citizenship by that time .
Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel ##lo was the 2009 Ballon d'Or winner . He won 473 votes -- 240 more than second - placed Cristiano Henry , who won last year . The 22-year - old player is the first Argentinian to win the award , launched in 1956 . It is organized by France Football magazine to determine the best player in Europe .