In a grand awards ceremony held in Paris on Monday evening, Lionel Messi secured his record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or, triumphing over Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and his former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe.
The 36-year-old held off competition from the duo to extend his record which now means he’s won three more than his closest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
His victory was widely anticipated, especially after leading Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup glory in Qatar, marking the nation’s first World Cup win since 1986.
Notably, this Ballon d’Or win marked a historic moment as it went to a player who plies his trade outside of Europe for the first time.
Haaland, who finished as the runner-up, had a remarkable season, contributing to Manchester City’s treble victory by netting an astonishing 56 goals in 53 games. while, Mbappe, who memorably scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final against Argentina, also had an outstanding season with PSG.
Messi’s victory this year was particularly a sweet one as he failed to clinch the award in 2022 during an underwhelming season at PSG. That award was won by Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who has now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia.
Although Haaland didn’t take home the Ballon d’Or, the Norwegian took home the Striker of the Year award.
On the women’s side, the Ballon d’Or was awarded to Aitana Bonmati, the World Cup-winning star from Barcelona and Spain.
Additional awards were presented to Emiliano Martinez, who earned the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper, Real Madrid’s talented midfielder, Jude Bellingham received the Kopa Trophy, an award given to the best young player, and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jrtook the Socrates Award for his humanitarian work in Brazil.
In the club category, Barcelona and Manchester City were honored as the Women’s and Men’s Club of the Year, respectively.
