Messi got the vote for a tremendous year in which his mercurial talents stood out for Barcelona as the Catalan club marched to an unprecedented treble of Champions League - he scored against United in the final - Spanish league title and Spanish Cup.
Barca teammates were also hailed with midfielder Xavi taking third place with 170 points while Iniesta was fourth on 149.
In fifth place was Cameroon striker Samuel Eto´o, who left Barca to join Inter Milan in the summer after winning his second Champions League. He was the club´s other scorer in the 2-0 final win over United as Barcelona won their third crown.
Messi, who Argentina coach Diego Maradona picked out as his heir four years ago, was in the youth team in Newells Old Boys in his homeland before Barcelona discovered him. The club swiftly brought him to Europe - paying for treatment for the youngster´s growth hormone deficiency.
"Without growth hormones Lionel would have grown, at best, to 1m50 by the time he reached adulthood," his father Jorge once told L´Equipe Magazine.
Messi becomes the first Argentine to win the award - opened to non-European nationals 15 years ago with Liberia´s George Weah the first non-European winner.
Brazilian Kaka, who won two years ago, came in sixth this year with just 58 points.
Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahomovic, now Messi´s teammate at Barca after arriving from Inter Milan, placed seventh ahead of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Chelsea´s Ivorian striker Didier Drogba and Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard´s Liverpool teammate Fernando Torres was 11th and Arsenal´s Cesc Fabregas was 12th.
Thierry Henry, another of Messi´s Barca colleagues and who has never won the award, came in 15th.
The first winner, in 1956, was England wing wizard Stanley Matthews.
Others honours include Alfredo Di Stefano, Raymond Kopa, Denis Law, Lev Yashin, Eusebio, Bobby Charlton - in England´s World Cup-winning year of 1966 - George Best, Gerd Muller, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Michel Platini, Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Michael Owen and Ronaldinho.
Having added to his growing personal trophy haul, Lionel Andres Messi, nicknamed La Pulga - the flea - is now itching to follow up and transfer his talents to the World Cup stage in South Africa next summer.
Last time out, in 2006, he was a frustrated spectator as former coach Jose Pekerman left him on the bench for the 2006 quarter-final penalty shootout loss on penalties to Germany.
Messi profile
Messi has certainly proved he can handle the pressure.
It is more than four years since Diego Maradona lauded the man from Santa Fe as the player who should inherit his own mantle as national footballing hero and Messi, unlike several would-be successors who flattered to deceive, has gone from strength to strength.
Having started out with Newells Old Boys in his homeland Messi soon came to Barcelona´s attention, who moved him and his family to Europe as the club offered to provide treatment for the youngster´s growth hormone deficiency.
"Without growth hormones Lionel would have grown, at best, to 1m50 by the time he reached adulthood," his father Jorge told L´Equipe Magazine.
Once installed in the first team, by the 2004-05 season, he also led Argentina to under-20 glory and then a season later featured prominently as Barca won La Liga and the Champions League - though he missed out on the final win over Arsenal as he had just returned from injury.
However, Messi rectified that particular omission last May with a superb goalscoring performance in the final win over Manchester United - he hit nine in the event in total - while also showing scintillating form as the Catalan club marched to La Liga and Spanish Cup for good measure.
At 22, he now is elevated to the Ballon d´Or status, succeeding Real Madrid´s Cristiano Ronaldo, the man he largely overshadowed in Sunday´s league encounter at the Nou Camp which left Barca top of the league clear of their megabucks rivals.
Whereas Ronaldo, who pipped the Argentine to the post last year, is comfortable in the media spotlight, the timid Messi shuns the limelight, preferring to allow his talents alone to do all the talking.
According to his father, even as a youngster back home, "people would pay to see him play with Newell´s," his father once said ahead of his October 2004 debut against Espanyol.
His first goal against Albacete on May 1, 2005 made him the Spanish league´s youngest ever scorer at 17, 10 months and seven days.
Having been top scorer in the under-20 competition four years ago Messi saw Barca set his contract get-out clause at 150 million dollars. The club swiftly extended that deal to 2010 and then again to 2014.
Amid Maradona´s praiseworthy assessment, Catalan daily La Vanguardia also hailed the "devilish" talent in his idol´s number ten shirt who "proves the master wherever he plays. The Maradona comparison comes automatically."
Barcelona daily El Mundo Deportivo is even more effusive.
"He has the left foot of Maradona, the switch of rhythm of (Johan) Cruyff and the lethal passing of Ronaldinho," the paper said of Messi.
With Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto´o also up front the club´s attacking trident were collectively unstoppable.
And although both have now left, Messi´s full range of skills have ensured that his club have not suffered but seamlessly carried on from where they left off.
Highlights in Barca´s colours include a hat-trick against Real in a thrilling draw in 2007 at the Nou Camp and a thrilling slalom and finish in the Spanish Cup against Getafe, compared with Maradona´s second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup.
With Argentina he has been a little less effective of late with the team generally struggling to find their form and limping through to the World Cup finals.
On that level, even Maradona has voiced a tad of criticism.
"Leo plays for Leo," the controversial national coach told Fox Sports last year.
Charging that Messi sometimes "forgets his teammates" Maradona added: "He´s Deportivo Messi."
Nonetheless, Messi has every reason to shine for Maradona in South Africa, after former coach Jose Pekerman left him on the bench for the 2006 quarter-final penalty shootout loss to Germany.
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