Argentina international Lionel Messi picked up a record eight Ballon d'Or, beating Manchester City's Erling Haaland and former teammate Kylian Mbappe to the prize.
Lionel Messi winning the Ballon d'Or has been an open secret for the past few weeks. He has now been officially announced as the winner of France Football's coveted prize.
The Inter Miami star first won the prize in 2009 after finishing on the podium for two consecutive editions. 15 years later, he is still competing at the summit of the sport and has now picked up his eighth Ballon d'Or gong.
Lionel Messi beats Mbappe and Haaland to the Prize
As Pulse Sports reported, the editor France Football the organisers of the Ballon d’Or announced that the award had three names in contention, Messi, Mbappe and Haaland.
Lionel Messi and Mbappe were PSG teammates over the period in review, and although they failed in the Champions League, the pair won a record 11th league title for Le Parisien, with the Argentine setting a record 16 league assists and the former Monaco man winning the Golden Boot with 29 goals.
However, it was their performance at the World Cup that earned them a place on the podium. Messi led the Albiceleste to triumph in the tournament, scoring a brace in the final—to total seven goals in the tournament—against France, who came close as they were powered by Mbappe, who bagged a hattrick in the final, the first player to do so since Geoff Hurst for England in 1966.
Haaland’s submission is his exceptional club season, winning the treble with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, a campaign fuelled by his goals. He scored a top-five-league-high 53 goals last season, 35 of which he scored in the Premier League.
His 35 goals were a Premier League record, as no player had reached that mark since the rebranding of the league in 1992. His 11 Champions League goals were also the highest in the Champions League, meaning he won the league and UCL golden boots.
In line with many reports prior to the award ceremony, the father of three piped his younger competitors to the award, taking his tally of France Football’s prize to eight. He won his first in 2009 and has now picked up what is expected to be his last, given his decision to move to the up-and-coming Major League Soccer.
Related content
09:00 - 28.10.2023
FOOTBALL Lionel Messi nominated for MLS Newcomer of the Year Award despite playing fewer than 400 minutes
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is among finalists for the MLS Newcomer of the Year Award after playing just six matches in the Major League Soccer this year
19:50 - 27.10.2023
Ex-Barcelona star wants Messi to play for Argentina at Paris 2024 Olympics
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has been invited to play for Argentina's Olympic team next summer but the Argentine could decline the offer.
15:41 - 23.10.2023
Lionel Messi sang for us — Inter Miami star reveals
Inter Miami youngster reveals that Lionel Messi sang for the squad during a team bonding session.
23:00 - 22.10.2023
Messi assesses MLS season after play-off failure, vows to deliver more success
Messi took to Instagram to send heartfelt message to Inter Miami fans.
23:00 - 20.10.2023
World Cup winner to serve two-year sentence after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs
A former teammate of Lionel Messi has been banned for two years after testing positive for a performance enhancing drug while playing for Sevilla in 2022
23:52 - 19.10.2023
Barcelona confirm Lionel Messi's impending return to the club
Lionel Messi could be on his way back to Barcelona after both President Laporta and Sporting Director Deco confirmed the club's intent to bring back the legendary Argentine
21:18 - 19.10.2023
Messi shares message of hope to injured Neymar
Ballon d'Or favourite Lionel Messi has commiserated with Brazilian forward Neymar after his former teammate suffered a gruesome injury while on international duty
07:27 - 18.10.2023
Lionel Messi: Argentina captain delivers record-breaking performance in win over Peru
Argentina defeated Peru 2-0 in World Cup 2026 qualifiers thanks to a brace from Ballon d'Or favourite Lionel Messi.
18:09 - 17.10.2023
Ex-Chelsea defender declares Messi’s 8th Ballon d’Or would be a disgrace
Lionel Messi potentially winning an eighth Ballon d’Or award would apparently not sit well with everybody
22:52 - 17.10.2023
Messi named most marketable athlete in the world with Ronaldo 27th on the list
Argentine World Cup winner Lionel Messi has been named the most marketable athlete in the world for the second time, while Ronaldo dropped to 27th place on the list
14:40 - 16.10.2023
Lionel Messi set to play friendly in China with Inter Miami after missing MLS playoffs
Lionel Messi will travel to China after Inter Miami signed a contract to play two exhibition games next month due to their failure to qualify for the Major League Soccer playoffs.
16:10 - 14.10.2023
My wife gave up her education so I could play with Messi — Inter Miami star opens up
Inter Miami star Facundo Farias has opened up on the sacrifices his family made for a chance to play alongside Lionel Messi.