Messi wins 8th Ballon d’Or
Recognising his pivotal role in Argentina’s World Cup triumph in 2022, in which he also scored seven goals and made three assists, the France Football magazine gave Lionel Messi the 2023 Ballon d’Or award. This was his eighth Ballon d’Or, the most wins by a player. He is now three ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who last won in 2017.
“To win the Copa America and then the World Cup, to get it done is amazing. All of them (Ballon d’Or awards) are special for different reasons,” said Messi.
Messi, thus, also became the first Major League Soccer-based player to win the award, though he got it mostly for his World Cup exploits, and till the last season, was a part of the French club, PSG.
Erling Haaland, who scored 52 goals last season as Manchester City won the Treble in 2022-23 (English Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League), finished second in the voting.
Haaland won the Gerd Muller Trophy for being the best striker of the year.
The other awards for male players were won by Messi’s Argentina teammate Emiliano Martinez (Lev Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper), England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham (Kopa Trophy for the world’s top under-21 player), and Brazil and Real Madrid midfielder Vinicius Junior (Socrates Award for his humanitarian work off the pitch).
Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí won the Ballon d’Or Féminin after a record-breaking year with club and country. She helped Barçelona win Liga F and the Champions League last season (2022-23), before leading Spain to World Cup glory in the summer.
Manchester City and FC Barcelona Femeni won the Men’s and Women’s Club of the Season awards.
