Suits and blazers, designer dresses, popstar performances and a gala ceremony – all to announce the obvious. Yup, Lionel Messi was crowned the new World Player of the Year after the Argentine beat out Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona teammate Neymar for the Ballon d'Or.
Having lost out to Ronaldo in the last couple of years, Messi won the award back, following his extraordinary 2015. Messi was the superstar as Barcelona were the masters of all they surveyed, winning the La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup last year.
While Neymar had an equally outstanding season, and Ronaldo bagged goals, goals and more goals, there was never any doubt Messi would win it, and so it was with the Argentine picking up his fifth Ballon d'Or.
There really is nothing this special talent from Barcelona cannot do, but Messi could not add the Puskas award for Goal of the Year to his collection, as Wendell Lira of Brazilian club Vila Nova, with that brilliant overhead goal, beat out the Argentina great and Roma's Alessandro Florenzi.
Barcelona had more to celebrate as Luis Enrique won the Men's Coach of the Year Award for masterminding the La Liga team's perfect season, with the Spaniard beating out competition from former Barca manager Pep Guardiola and Chile head coach Jorge Sampaoli, who, perhaps, deserved the award as much as Enrique for taking Chile all the way to the Copa America title last year.
The Women's Player of the Year gong went to Carli Lloyd, who was the player of the tournament in USA's World Cup triumph last year, while the Women's Coach of the Year was won by the woman who guided the Americans to the title – Jill Ellis.
"It truly is an honour, this has been a dream of mine, ever since I started my journey with the national team," a tearful Lloyd, who scored a fabulous hat-trick in the final, said.
FIFA also announced the FIFPro World Team of the Year, with all the usual suspects finding their way in, even if some of them might have not had the greatest of seasons.
Entire list of award winners on FIFA Ballon d'Or night:
FIFA Ballon d'Or for World Player of the Year: Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina).
FIFA Puskas Award for Best Goal of the Year: Wendell Lira (Vila Nova).
Men's Coach of the Year: Luis Enrique (Barcelona).
Women's Player of the Year: Carli Lloyd(USA and Houston Dash).
Women's Coach of the Year: Jill Ellis (USA).
FIFA Fair Play Award: All thefootball clubs and organisations in the world supporting the refugees.
FIFA Fifpro World XI: Manuel Neuer; Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Paul Pogba, Luka Modric, Andres Iniesta; Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo.
