The Argentinean forward was named the clear winner of the Ballon d'Or by France Football magazine with 473 points, way ahead of last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo on 233 points.
Messi was just seven points short of the maximum available from the 96 jurors after winning the Champions League, La Liga and Spanish cup with Barcelona last year.
The 22-year-old, the first Argentinean to win the award and the first Barcelona player since Ronaldinho in 2005, scored nine goals in last year's Champions League, including one in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the final.
'Honestly, I knew that I was among the favourites because Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009,' Messi, who recently signed a contract extension with Barcelona until 2016 and with a buyout clause of £228 million, said.
'But I didn't expect to win with such a margin. The Ballon d'Or is very important to me. All the players who won it were great players, and some great players never won it.
'I dedicate it to my family. They were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me.'
Behind Real Madrid's Ronaldo in second were Messi's Barcelona team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
Former Barca striker Samuel Eto'o, now at Inter Milan, completed the top five while the highest-placed English players were Wayne Rooney (eighth) and Steven Gerrard (tenth).
Messi is the clear favourite to be named as Fifa's world player of the year on December 21st.
Messi was just seven points short of the maximum available from the 96 jurors after winning the Champions League, La Liga and Spanish cup with Barcelona last year.
The 22-year-old, the first Argentinean to win the award and the first Barcelona player since Ronaldinho in 2005, scored nine goals in last year's Champions League, including one in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the final.
'Honestly, I knew that I was among the favourites because Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009,' Messi, who recently signed a contract extension with Barcelona until 2016 and with a buyout clause of £228 million, said.
'But I didn't expect to win with such a margin. The Ballon d'Or is very important to me. All the players who won it were great players, and some great players never won it.
'I dedicate it to my family. They were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me.'
Behind Real Madrid's Ronaldo in second were Messi's Barcelona team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
Former Barca striker Samuel Eto'o, now at Inter Milan, completed the top five while the highest-placed English players were Wayne Rooney (eighth) and Steven Gerrard (tenth).
Messi is the clear favourite to be named as Fifa's world player of the year on December 21st.
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