Messi wins record sixth men's Ballon d'Or award

PARIS (Reuters) - Argentina's Barcelona forward Lionel Messi claimed the men's Ballon d'Or award for a record sixth time on Monday.

The 32-year-old, who lifted the coveted trophy in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015, beat Liverpool's Champions League winner Virgil van Dijk in a vote of international journalists.

Messi won Spain's Liga title with Barca this year and led Argentina to third place at the Copa America in July.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris)