How many Ballon d’Or trophies has Lionel Messi won and will he win it again tonight?
Lionel Messi is without doubt one of the greatest footballers to grace the game and his genius is unlikely to be ever seen again.
As a result, he's collected many Ballon d'Or awards, which represent the highest individual achievement possible.
The Argentine is a Barcelona legend and now plays in the USA for Inter Miami, where he made a brilliant impact this season.
And after winning his first World Cup with Argentina, Messi is looking set to pick up yet another Ballon d'Or tonight.
The Ballon d'Or or 'Golden Ball' is an annual award presented to the world's best footballer for that previous season.
It is hosted by France Football and is totally separate to FIFA's own award.
The prize started in 1956 and was originally voted for by football journalists, but from 2007 onwards, players from countries in FIFA's top 100 get the chance to vote.
It's the most prestigious award because it's voted for by fellow professionals and peers.
Messi lifted his first Ballon d'Or in 2009 and followed that up with wins in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
His next was presented to him in 2015, and he also won in 2019 and 2021.
This means he has won seven in total, which is the most in history.
His great rival and competitor, Cristiano Ronaldo, is two behind him on five.
From 2008 until 2017, the pair shared the award, showing their dominance of elite men's football.
But Ronaldo hasn't been in contention in recent years and won't be this year after his move to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Nassr.
1: Lionel Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021)
2: Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
3= Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985)
3= Yohan Cruyff (1971, 1973, 1974)
3= Marco van Basten (1998, 1989, 1992)
6= Franz Beckenbauer (1972, 1976)
6= Ronaldo (1997, 2002)
6=
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