European Footballer of the Year named

Spanish World Cup winner Andres Iniesta on Thursday was crowned as the European Footballer of the Year, dpa reported.

In a poll taken amongst European journalists, the Barcelona midfielder beat off team-mate Lionel Messi and Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo for the title. Messi won the award last season.

The UEFA award was introduced in 2011 after France Football's Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award merged in 2010.