USA TODAY

After leading the U.S. women to a World Cup trophy, Carli Lloyd was named FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year on Monday.

Lloyd was selected over finalists Aya Miyama of Japan and Celia Sasic of Germany at the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala in Zurich.

As she accepted the award, Lloyd started to tear up and the audience applauded her. “I honestly wouldn’t be standing up here without my incredible teammates. We all know it took 23 players to win the World Cup,” said Lloyd, who wore a flowing red strapless dress.

She thanked U.S. Soccer, its president Sunil Gulati and coach Jill Ellis. She also credited her longtime trainer, James Galanis.

U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, Lloyd's good friend, was part of the video introduction of Lloyd. "Carli Lloyd has always played simply for the love of the game," Solo said. "Not for getting endorsement deals, not for the glitz or the glamour. She wants the black eye, she wants the bloody noses. She wants to go in for hard tackles. That’s what makes her beautiful inside and out. That’s what makes her a champion."

Against Japan in the Women's World Cup final in July, Lloyd scored a hat trick over the course of 16 minutes to blow the game open in a 5-2 victory. The United States became the first team to win three Women’s World Cup championships.

Lloyd received the Golden Ball award as the Cup’s best player. She’s the second American to win the Golden Ball, joining Carin Jennings, who won it in 1991. The midfielder also became the first American to score in four consecutive games in a World Cup.

The 33-year-old from New Jersey was named a co-captain of the U.S. team on Saturday along with defender Becky Sauerbrunn. Lloyd has 211 caps, which ranks eighth in U.S. history, and 79 goals.

She is the third American woman to win the Ballon d’Or award, following Mia Hamm (2001-02) and Abby Wambach (2012).

Ellis was named Women’s Coach of the Year earlier in the ceremony, becoming the second U.S. coach to win the award. Pia Sundhage won in 2012 after leading the Americans to the Olympic gold medal.

"One of the things I've always said about great players is that they're consistent, and Carli's been so consistent over the years in big games," Ellis said. "So it's just nice for that to be acknowledged and recognized tonight. I'm thrilled for her and I think it's just another building block for her in terms of moving forward in her confidence."

Lionel Messi was named the best male player in the world for the fifth time.

FIFA’s gala was a who’s-who of soccer stars.

“These players —Messi, Iniesta, Ronaldo, Pogba, Dani Alves — these are players I watch on a daily basis,” Lloyd said. “These are players that I study, that I look up to. To be able to get photos with them is pretty amazing. It doesn’t get better than this and I’ve been soaking it all up and enjoying it.”

Lloyd faced familiar competition for her award. The USA beat Germany 2-0 in the semifinal to reach the final against Japan.

Sasic's six goals and one assist earned her the World Cup's Golden Boot as the top scorer. She retired from the game in July after 111 international appearances and 63 career goals for Germany.

Miyama was the captain of Japan's team at the World Cup. She's a three-time Asian player of the year.