ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 11: Carli Lloyd of USA and Houston Dash the recipient of the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Award and Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona recipient of the Ballon d’or pose during the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala 2015 at the Kongresshaus on January 11, 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
SoccerBy Dan Levy on

American Carli Lloyd and some guy you may have heard of named Lionel Messi, are FIFA football royalty for 2015, earning the World Player of the Year awards in a ceremony on Monday in Zurich.

While Messi will dominate the headlines around the world, it’s Lloyd who gets top billing in the United States.

FIFA first presented the World player of the Year in the women’s game in 2001, with American legend Mia Hamm winning the first two awards. Nine years passed before another American took home the prestigious honor, as Abby Wambach won in 2012. It took just three years for an American to win again, and rightfully so, given the year both U.S. Soccer had, and the year Lloyd, herself, had for her country.

Jill Ellis, U.S. Soccer head coach, won FIFA’s women’s coach of the year as well, leading the women’s national team to its first World Cup in 16 years. But it was Lloyd who earned player of the tournament, vaulting her from steady and reliable pro with a penchant for big goals to bona fide world superstar.

Lloyd started in all seven matches for the U.S. in the Women’s World Cup, scoring six times and adding three assists. She scored three times in the World Cup Final, punctuating her hat trick in the most stylish way possible, knocking in a half-field shot just because she had the guts to try it.

Lloyd led U.S. Soccer with 16 goals in all competitions in 2015 and was second on the team in assists with six, having a direct impact in 22 of U.S. Soccer’s 61 goals in all competitions. Considering she played in just 19 matches in 2015 for U.S. Soccer, those numbers are pretty insane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1CT3xQOfng

The Ballon D’Or—the renamed World Player of the Year for men’s football—has been presented six times since 2010, and four have gone to Messi. This was the Argentinian’s first win since 2012, as Cristiano Ronaldo won back-to-back trophies, but it is the fifth time since 2009 Messi has taken home the award for world’s best footballer. This time, he did it while fighting through injury.

Even while missing time due to injury, Messi had a daunting 2015 schedule for club and country, leading Barcelona to the treble—La Liga title, Copa del Rey title and the UEFA Champions League title—adding the FIFA Club World Cup in December. Messi also helped Argentina to the finals of Copa America this summer, falling to host Chile in penalties.

For club and country, Messi appeared in 61 matches in 2015, recording 52 goals and 26 assists.

In the 2014/15 season, Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez combined for 122 goals, the highest attacking trio in Spanish football history. Messi had 58 of those goals. This season Messi was subbed off after nine minutes on September 26 and did not return to Barca until November 21, and still, in all or part of 12 matches to date (including two in January) Messi has nine goals and four assists.

That’s when he’s rusty!

http://gty.im/504564314

As great as Ronaldo is, and as wonderful a year as fellow finalist Neymar had, especially in Messi’s absence, Lionel Messi is, was and will be the best player on the planet, so long as he can stay healthy enough to play in something close to 75 percent of his team’s matches. Because 75 percent of Messi is better than a thousand percent of almost anyone else.

Seeing Messi and Neymar and Ronaldo share the stage with the other top players in the world should put a smile on the face of any soccer fan. Every time in history feels like the best, but it’s hard to believe there was ever a better time in soccer than right now, with fans around the world getting the opportunity to watch players like Messi and Ronaldo and Neymar and the dozens of other worthy stars around the world play the game all at the same time.

For one year, and for one night, it’s amazing to add an American to that list. Carli Lloyd, on this night, stands with legends of today, pillars of the game. The world’s best.

About Dan Levy

Dan Levy has written a lot of words in a lot of places, most recently as the National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. He was host of The Morning B/Reakaway on Sirius XM's Bleacher Report Radio for the past year, and previously worked at Sporting News and Rutgers University, with a concentration on sports, media and public relations.

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