Messi's mother: I thought Leo's fifth Ballon d'Or would be his last Barcelona Didn't expect another one

Lionel Messi's mother, Celia Cuccittini, has admitted that she didn't expect her son to win a sixth Ballon d'Or.

The Barcelona star's fifth title came back in 2015 before Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric claimed the award in the following years.

"He surprises us everyday with what he achieves," Cuccittini told CNN Radio.

"I'm super happy. We didn't expect [him to win] the award.

"We thought that the fifth [Ballon d'Or] was the last one, this was a beautiful surprise."

While Messi is a legend with his club, there are still those that criticise his inability to win a trophy with the Argentinian national team.

"It hurts me because you can criticise without offending, without mocking," his mother said.

"Obviously, not everyone has to like him.

"We, in the family, know that he has a debt to Argentina.

"But no one wants to win a World Cup or a Copa America more than he does."