![Football - Ballon d'Or 2023 - Chatelet Theater, Paris, France - October 30, 2023 Lionel Messi of Inter Miami after winning the men's Ballon d'Or with his sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2023/10/Messi-and-sons-620x452.jpg)
Football – Ballon d’Or 2023 – Chatelet Theater, Paris, France – October 30, 2023 Lionel Messi of Inter Miami after winning the men’s Ballon d’Or with his sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
PARIS – Argentina captain Lionel Messi won the eighth Ballon d’Or for the world’s best player on Monday, beating Norway’s UEFA player of the year and treble winner Erling Haaland of Manchester City to the prestigious award.
Inter Miami’s Messi, who last won the award in 2021, played a crucial role in guiding Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years as they defeated defending champions France in the final last year.
The 36-year-old is now three Ballons d’Or ahead of rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the last of his five trophies in 2017. Messi has now finished in the top three a record fourteen times in total, finishing second on five occasions.
“I couldn’t imagine having the career I’ve had. Everything I have achieved. The fortune I had playing for the best team in the world, the best team in history. It’s fun to win these individual trophies. It’s great to win the Copa America and then the World Cup, to do that,” Messi said.
“They are all special for different reasons,” he added.
“I’m happy to get the recognition I get thanks to what we have achieved with the national team,” Messi told Reuters.
“This (World Cup) title that we have been striving for for so many years makes it even more special.”
Asked if he would continue until the 2026 World Cup, Messi said: “I’m not thinking about it. I will enjoy (my career) day by day. First there is the Copa America in the United States (in 2024). (The World Cup), I don’t think about it.”
Earlier, Messi’s World Cup-winning teammate Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin Award for the world’s best goalkeeper.
Spain’s Women’s World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the Women’s Ballon d’Or.
“It is an individual trophy, but it cannot exist without a team,” she told reporters.
READ: Messi eyes eighth Ballon d’Or and Bonmati set to win the women’s award
Messi, who won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 and won four in a row until 2012, finished second behind Haaland at the UEFA awards in August.
Haaland, 23, was one of the hot favorites for his first Ballon d’Or after scoring 52 goals in 53 games in all competitions last season as City won the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
But Argentina’s magical performance at the World Cup in Qatar, where Messi earned the Golden Ball for best overall player and the Silver Boot (seven goals and three assists), helped guide the Norwegian striker to the accolade.
The World Cup was the only major trophy missing from Messi’s CV as Argentina made amends for their 2014 final loss to Germany, while in March he became only the third player in history to score 100 international goals.
Messi also won the Ligue 1 title with Paris St Germain before moving to Inter Miami, where he helped the Major League Soccer side win the Leagues Cup – their first major trophy.
Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy for the best player under 21, while teammate Vinicius Jr. received the Socrates Award for his humanitarian work off the field.