Record holder Lionel Messi has been awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or for the eighth time. The 36-year-old Argentine from MLS club Inter Miami CF received the honor on Monday evening in Paris and won the vote ahead of Erling Haaland (Manchester City) and Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain).
Messi was still active at Paris Saint-Germain last season and collected 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 games across all competitions. While he became champion with PSG in Ligue 1 and failed in the Champions League in the round of 16 against FC Bayern, he achieved something historic with the Argentine national team: at the World Cup in Qatar, the Albiceleste won the title again after 1978 and 1986.
After the final (7:5 nE against France), Messi was named the best player of the tournament, and together with Mbappé he was the best scorer (both with 10 goals each).
Ballon d’Or: Bonmatí wins in the women’s category – Bellingham best youngster
In addition to Messi, Aitana Bonmatí from FC Barcelona was named best female footballer, Wolfsburg’s Alexandra Popp and Lena Oberdorf came seventh and 13th. In the U21 professional category, the title went to former Dortmund player Jude Bellingham. He contributed 14 goals and seven assists in 42 games for BVB last season and was recommended for a move to Real Madrid. Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern) and Pedri (FC Barcelona) landed behind Bellingham. Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez won the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
