Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or 2023 winner at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, the eighth time he has won the award.
He said: “Thank you very much, for sharing this with my national team-mates for what we were able to achieve with the national team. The entire group, the coaching staff, everyone involved. I’m delighted to be here once more and to be able to enjoy this moment one more time. To be able to win the World Cup and really achieve my dream, to share this with all those who were involved. “He added: “To finish, I want to say happy birthday to Diego Maradona.”Messi dedicated his winning to legend Diego Maradona, who would have celebrated his 63rd birthday on Monday. “Happy birthday Diego. This is for you too,” he said.
Messi managed to win the World Cup with Argentina last year in Qatar. He spent 17 years with the Barcelona club between 2004 and 2021 and won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021. When he won his first in 2009, he was 22 years old, and 14 years later has sealed a record eighth award.
Cristiano Ronaldo came in second place with five awards but was not nominated for the 2023 edition, the first time he has not been up for the award since 2003. There were a lot of nominations from the Premier League, with Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez among the seven Manchester City players put forward.
The Ballon d’Or recognizes the best footballer of the year by voting for 100 journalists from around the world. As well as helping Argentina to World Cup glory, Messi also played a key role as Inter Miami won their first trophy – the Leagues Cup – and has scored 11 goals in 14 appearances for the Major League Soccer side. He has now won three more Ballon d’Or awards than anyone else, with Cristiano Ronaldo having won it five times, most recently in 2017. The Portugal international, who plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, was not named on the shortlist for the first time since 2003.
Messi is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, as he has scored over 800 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club
Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe. He developed a passion for the sport from an early age, playing constantly with his older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and his cousins, Maximiliano, and Emanuel Biancucchi, both of whom became professional footballers.
