Jubilation as Lionel Messi beats Cristiano Ronaldo, Lewandowski, 7 others to win best player of the decade

- Lionel Messi has been voted as the best player of the decade

- The Argentine superstar beat Ronaldo and right others to the prize

- No current Premier League player was shortlisted among the top 10 best players in the last 10 years

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Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has been crowned the world's best player of the decade between 2011 and 2020 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

The 33-year-old beats arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo who came second on the list and eight other superstars to win the prestigious award.

Other big names on the 10 man shortlist are Andres Iniesta, Neymar, and Sergio Ramos but they didn't do well enough to earn the gong.

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The international organisation tasked its members across 150 countries to vote for the player deserving of the status, and it was the Argentine who fit the bill after the polls.

Gianluigi Buffon and Zlatan Ibrahimovic also made the cut but came in as the eighth and ninth-best in the world in the last decade.

Full list of the top 10 best players of the last decade by the IFFHS

• Lionel Messi (Argentina)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
• Andres Iniesta (Spain)
• Neymar (Brazil)
• Sergio Ramos (Spain)

• Manuel Neuer (Germany)
• Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
• Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
• Luka Modric (Croatia)

Meanwhile, Cristiano didn't go empty-handed as he won the award for the UEFA region, and Messi who triumphed globally - clinched CONMEBOL nations.

The 33-year-old hasn't had a bad last ten years, picking up six La Liga titles, five Copa del Rey trophies, two Champions Leagues, and four Ballon d'Ors.

Despite struggling under the new manager Ronald Koeman this season, Messi has already scored 12 goals and two assists in 18 La Liga games, and three goals and two assists in four Champions League fixtures.

Though there are a few notable names missing on the list like Frank Ribery, Xavi, Luis Suarez and a few others, however, the list cannot be perfect as the positions were voted for by a wide range of experts.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been named in the World Team of the Decade according to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.

The duo have literarily made the last ten years their own splitting a staggering 11 Ballon d'Or titles between themselves with Messi having six while Ronaldo holds five.

IFFHS favours more Real Madrid stars in the team with present and past Los Blancos stars dominating the XI.