Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba has called the Ballon d'Or a "lie" after team-mate Lionel Messi only finished fifth in the standings.

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric won the prize recently, with Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo second, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann third and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain in fourth.

Speaking after a virtuoso performance from Messi in Barcelona's 4-0 win over Espanyol on Saturday, Alba was critical of the process, per Goal:

"The Ballon d'Or is a lie, there are many club and press campaigns [surrounding it]."Everyone knows that Messi is the best player in the world by far. If Cristiano was still at Real Madrid he'd get the Ballon d'Or. There were many fans and journalists who wanted Cristiano to get the Ballon d'Or when he was in Real Madrid."

Messi provided yet another reminder of his brilliance in the Catalan derby on Saturday, as he netted two free-kicks and set up Ousmane Dembele in a stunning individual display.

Squawka Football provided the numbers behind it:

The Guardian's Sid Lowe commented on the regularity with which Messi conjures these kinds of magical moments:

It was the latest bit of brilliance in a campaign to remember for Messi. This season, he's scored 17 goals and laid on nine assists, helping Barcelona to top spot in La Liga and into the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.

Following his remarkable performance, social media was unsurprisingly awash with references to the Barcelona man's standing in the 2018 Ballon d'Or:

Few would argue that Modric deserved recognition after an incredible year. He helped Real Madrid win the Champions League for the third year in succession and was the driving force behind Croatia's shock run to the FIFA World Cup final.

Messi may not have had success in those two competitions with his teams, but on the domestic front, he was imperious again.

Barcelona only lost one game as they romped to the 2017-18 La Liga title and clinched a fourth Copa del Rey crown in succession, with Messi in fine form in both. It was yet another campaign that saw the great man show stunning productivity:

Although World Cup years do tend to see players who have performed well in the tournament finish near the top of the Ballon d'Or standings, the consistent genius Messi shows does make his placing a little peculiar. 

Having played with him for many years and benefited from Messi's inspired play, it's not a shock Alba doesn't place much importance on the prize.