Lionel Messi beats Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé to win eighth Ballon d’Or
Lionel Messi (36) has secured his eighth Ballon d’Or, beating Kylian Mbappé (24) and Erling Haaland (23) to the prestigious prize during Monday’s ceremony in Paris.
Messi was the overwhelming favourite to win the prize, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. As revealed by Vincent Garcia, France Football’s editor-in-chief, the prize is based primarily on individual performances and “notably on their impressive and decisive character,” whilst collective achievements are also taken into account.
The 2022/23 season was certainly an impressive and historic one for Messi. Prior to the winter tournament in Qatar, the World Cup was the only trophy missing from Messi’s cabinet. That changed in December as Argentina won the World Cup, beating France in the final with Messi netting a brace. He also won the Ligue 1 title with former club Paris Saint-Germain, however, the French side suffered early exits from the Coupe de France and UEFA Champions League.
Messi also scored 38 goals in all competitions, however, his season finished on somewhat of a sour note. After an unauthorised visit to Saudi Arabia, the former Barcelona forward was dropped from the squad. He was then re-integrated into the setup at the end of the season following an apology. He was nonetheless the subject of boos from PSG’s fans towards the end of the campaign.
However, the unsavoury circumstances surrounding the latter stages of his PSG stay will be quickly forgotten with Messi now securing his eighth Ballon d’Or. He now has three more than Cristiano Ronaldo (5).
He beat Manchester City’s Haaland (2nd) and PSG forward and France captain Mbappé (3rd) to the prestigious prize. He nonetheless becomes the first Frenchman since Thierry Henry to make the Ballon d’Or top ten
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