Barcelona's Lionel Messi has won the acclaimed Ballon d'Or award for the European Footballer of the Year.
French magazine France Football said the 22-year-old Argentine beat 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo into second by a massive margin - 473 points to 233.
"I'm happy to have won, and on top of it all by a wide majority," said Messi. "It is beautiful to win it this way."
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard were eighth and 10th respectively.
The award is decided by a poll of world football journalists from a shortlist of 30 players.
Messi becomes the sixth Barcelona player to take the award but the first since Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho in 2005.
In addition to the Ballon d'Or, Messi is favourite to be crowned 2009 Fifa World Player of the Year on 21 December.
