Lionel Messi's mother has revealed the Barcelona star did not expect to beat Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to the Ballon d'Or trophy for 2019.
Celia has admitted her surprise after Messi was announced the winner in the ceremony which took place in Paris on Monday.
Van Dijk was one of the favourites to win France Football's prestigious award, after an imperious year with the Reds - in which Jurgen Klopp's side were crowned Champions League and Super Cup winners.
The iconic No.10 reportedly felt the Dutchman had done enough to be crowned the world's best player and was expecting to miss out.
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Speaking to CNN radio, the Argentina captain's mother admitted: "I am very happy. We were not expecting this.
"We thought the fifth had been the last. Honestly, this was a beautiful surprise. He (Messi) did not expect it either.
"I do not know if he found out minutes before, I do not know, but we did not know anything."
Messi's win in France saw him crowned the world's best for an historic sixth time.
The Barca skipper finished just seven points ahead of Van Dijk who narrowly missed out on a maiden Ballon d'Or.
