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Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or award for the world's best player for a record sixth time.

It is the 32-year-old Argentine's first Ballon d'Or since 2015 and comes after he scored 54 times for club and country in 2018-19, in which Barca won La Liga, BBC reports. 

Virgil van Dijk was second - one of four Liverpool players in the top seven, including Sadio Mane in fourth.

Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award five times, was third in the voting.

Messi's win means the Ballon d'Or award has been won by a player from Spain's La Liga in each of the last 11 years, including last year's winner Luka Modric, who broke the 10-year Messi-Ronaldo monopoly on the prize.

"Today is my sixth Ballon d'Or. It's a completely different moment, lived with my family and my children," Messi said.

"As my wife said, you must never stop dreaming but always work to improve and continue to enjoy. I am very lucky, I am blessed.

"I hope to continue for a long time. I realise that I am very lucky, even if, one day, retirement will ring. It will be difficult.

"But I still have beautiful years ahead of me. Time goes very quickly, so I want to enjoy football and my family."

The Argentine forward recently notched up 700 appearances for Barca, during which time he has scored a phenomenal 614 goals while winning 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga and four Champions League titles, and a host of other records and awards.