The 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala was the third year for FIFA 's awards for the top football players and coaches of the year. The awards were given out in Zürich on 7 January 2013, [1] with Lionel Messi winning a record fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or.

Below are the nominees in the final order after voting for the 2012 award. The winner was Argentinian Lionel Messi, his fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or award. The first six places were for players playing in Spain. See the list of all Ballon d'Or winners.

Lionel Messi won his 4th consecutive Ballon d'Or in 2012. The 2012 Ballon d'Or was the third to be handed by FIFA and it saw Lionel Messi become the first player in history to win the award for the fourth consecutive occasion.

In arguably the most anticlimactic award announcement this year, Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been named the winner of 2012's Ballon d'Or. I think I speak for soccer fans everywhere when I say, "Duh."

In 2012, Lionel Messi scored an astonishing 91 goals, which shattered the previous record (85 goals) held by Bayern Munich and Germany’s Gerd Muller since 1972.