Lionel Messi made history last night as he won the Ballon d'Or for a record fourth time in a row. Receiving the presitous prize ahead of Real Madrid maestro Cristiano Ronaldo and fellow Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta, the 25 year old said he was thrilled to win the prize once more.

"I'm obviously very happy, it's a great honour to win this award again. I'm very happy."

"It's something I don't really stop to think about. Obviously I try to enjoy it, I try to enjoy each moment everything that I achieve. I don't really have time to stop and think about what I'm doing. All the matches are important. Once I finish my career I'll stop and look at what I've done."

The star-studded ceremony saw the world's best footballers greet fans along the red carpet ahead of the announcement of who would be crowned the best player on the planet.

Messi won 42 per cent of the vote after a remarkable 2012, overhauling Gerd Muller's long-standing record to score 91 goals in a calendar year. The Argentine forward becomes the first ever player to win the prestigious award on four separate occasions ahead of three-time winners Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten.

Written and presented by Alfred Joyner