Argentina and Inter Miami forward, Lionel Messi has won his eighth Ballon d’Or of his career.
The former Barcelona superstar, who led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he scored seven times and was named the tournament’s best player, beats Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint Germain to win the award.
The award ceremony took place at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, on Monday night, October 30.
In his acceptance speech, Messi thanked his Argentina teammates and congratulated all other nominees.
The prestigious award has been dominated over the last 15 years by Messi and his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, which both have won it 12 times between them.
Only two other players have won the Ballon d’Or since Ronaldo claimed his first in 2008, Luka Modric won it in 2018 and Karim Benzema was crowned last year following his outstanding performance last season with Real Madrid.
