Fifa Ballon d'Or 2015 Gala as it happened

Lionel Messi wins the Ballon d'Or for the fifth time in his career, denying Cristiano Ronaldo a third consecutive triumph. Was it ever in doubt?

And the winner of the 2015 Fifa Ballon d'Or is Lionel Messi.

An emotional Carli Lloyd:

Wow. It truly is an honour. This has been a dream of mine ever since I started my journey with the national tam. Celia and Aya both are amazing footballers and are truly deserving of this award. I want to thank Jill, the coaching staff and all of our support staff. I wouldn't be standing up here if it wasn't for my team-mates. To James, we started this journey 13 years ago and you told me I could become the best player in the world. Now I can thank you for that.

Right, here we go then. Kaka, the last man not named Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to win this award, is out to reveal the winner.

And the winner of the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year is... Carli Lloyd

Almost there, now. The penultimate award of the evening is to be announced in the next few minutes, the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award.

The nominees again are Carli Lloyd, Aya Miyama, Celia Sasic

Lira's effort sealed the award by some margin in the end.

Well then. Messi's effort in the Copa del Rey final misses out. Wendell Lira of Brazil's Vila Nova scoops the award.

And the winner of the Fifa Puskas Award is... Wendell Lira!

Now it's time for the Puskas Award. Alessandro Florenzi, Wendell Lira and Lionel Messi should all have a very decent chance of winning it, but you feel it is only going to one man...

When will know who has won the award, then? Hopefully in the next half hour. Leona Lewis is currently on stage singing something. So that will keep us ticking over.

Next on the agenda this evening is the Fifa Puskas Award for the best goal of the year. There are some absolute crackers that didn't make the top three, including Philippe Mexes' outrageous overhead kick from outside the box and Carli Lloyd's effort from her own half against Japan at the Women's World Cup. The final shortlist is made up of efforts from Alessandro Florenzi, Wendell Lira and Lionel Messi.

Luis Enrique beat his compatriot Pep Guardiola to the coach's award by approximately 9%. Jorge Sampaoli, who led Chile to the Copa America, is a distant third.

It was a bit of a landslide win for Jill Ellis.

Luis Enrique wins Fifa Men's World Coach for 2015.

And now for the Men's World Coach award. Those nominees again are Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich), Luis Enrique (Barcelona), Jorge Sampaoli (Chile)

United States coach Jill Ellis clinches the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women's Football

Now we move onto the FIFA World Coach of the Year (Women's) award. Hope Powell is out on stage to dish it out.

The candidates are: Jill Ellis, Mark Sampson, Norio Sasak

That segment for the Fifa Fifpro World XI was topped off by a brilliantly awful video compilation of the team scoring a goal. They all got a touch ! Fair play.

One player from Bayern Munich in that side, and four from Real Madrid! A few lads from Barcelona make up the rest of the team, with Thiago Silva or Paris Saint-Germain retaining his spot at the back.

And here's the XI. You could have guessed it, really.

Manuel Neuer

Dani Alves
Sergio Ramos
Thiago Silva
Marcelo

Andres Iniesta
Luka Modric
Paul Pogba

Neymar
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo

Now it's time for the Fifa Fifpro World XI: Best eleven players in the world, as voted for by fellow players.

The candidates for each award have just been grilled by James Nesbitt on stage. Here's what they had to say.

Cristiano Ronaldo:

Keep working hard. Dedicate myself 100% This is what I love to do, to play football. I am still capable to play more years and try to be the best. This is my goal, I am still fit I am still young and I still have the power."

Lionel Messi:

"A lot of time has passed since 2009. I've grown and learned a few things. We grow and learn from everything. I'm trying to add things to my game."

Neymar:

"It is a dream that has come true for me to be standing on this stage with Ronaldo and Messi and the great array of talent that is here in this room tonight. I hope to be returning here more than once, together with my idols."

James Nesbitt is hosting tonight's ceremony. Obviously.

WHAT SUIT IS MESSI WEARING TONIGHT, I hear you demand. After a couple of flashy numbers over the years, the Argentine has gone for a fairly standard tux. Part of us is very disappointed.

Paul Pogba's gone for a more interesting one, and he's brought his old dear along for the party.

Can anyone look past Messi for a fifth triumph this evening? After two years in a row finishing runner up to Ronaldo, the Argentine roared back in 2015. Barcelona's treble success last season was spearheaded by his brilliance; look back at each of those triumphs and he was at the heart of it.

That magnificent solo goal in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao, an effort that has also been tipped to win the Puskas Award later tonight.

His 10 goals in that Champions League-winning campaign, including that one that bewildered and blinded Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng in the semi-final, arguably the most iconic moment of the competition.

And the litany of stand out moments he enjoyed in that La Liga campaign, including his 43 goals in 38 games. Take your pick.

Tonight is all about the big award, with Lionel Messi the bookies' favourite the win his fifth Ballon d'Or and deny Cristiano Ronaldo a third successive triumph. But that's not all that is up for grabs this evening. Here is what else to expect.

Fifa Women's World Player of the Year - nominees: Carli Lloyd, Aya Miyama, Celia Sasic

Men's World Coach - nominees: Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich), Luis Enrique (Barcelona), Jorge Sampaoli (Chile)

Women's World Coach - nominees: Jill Ellis, Mark Sampson, Norio Sasaki

Puskas Award - nominees: Alessandro Florenzi (vs Barcelona), Wendell Lira (vs Goianesia), Lionel Messi (vs Atletico Madrid)

Fifa Fifpro World XI: Best eleven players in the world, as voted for by fellow players.

Fifa Fair Play Award: Commends people or institutions for fair play.

Football's Oscar night is here. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar will be among those to make their way down the red carpet in Zurich, hoping to win the most coveted individual honour in football, the Fifa Ballon d'Or. IBTimes UK will be with the gala throughout the evening.