The years on the list are 2009, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2015, 2011, 2012, and so on.
Following his lifelong dream of leading Argentina to the World Cup championship in Qatar last year, Lionel Messi won the men's Ballon d'Or on Monday for a record-breaking eighth time.
Adding to his collection of silverware the one significant trophy that escaped him during his illustrious career was the deciding element in what was otherwise a fairly ordinary season for Paris Saint-Germain by his standards.
Messi, 36, prevailed over Kylian Mbappe, his former PSG teammate, and Erling Haaland, a forward for Manchester City.
Messi thanked his teammates, staff, and coach from Argentina for helping him achieve his goal.
I'm having fun this evening. Messi said through a translator, "It's a pleasure that will never leave me, and I hope to be able to enjoy it for many years to come." The title we were missing was world champion. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who made Argentina's team the world champion.
In addition, Messi honored the late Diego Maradona, who in 1986 also contributed to Argentina's World Cup victory.
Messi declared, "I share this title and this trophy with you and all of our Argentina comrades."
After leading Spain to victory at the August Women's World Cup, Aitana Bonmati was named the winner of the women's award. In addition, she assisted Barcelona in winning the Spanish league and the Women's Champions League.
Messi has regained his title one year after failing to make the 2022 Ballon d'Or shortlist, despite quitting elite European soccer.
His outstanding World Cup performance earned him the greatest individual award in sports. Messi contributed to ten goals for Argentina in Qatar, including three assists and seven goals of his own. In the championship matchup with France, he scored twice.
Less glittering was his final season with PSG. PSG lost in the round of 16 of the Champions League despite winning a record-breaking 11th French league.
No other person has received more than five Ballon d'Or awards. Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Michel Platini, and Cristiano Ronaldo each have three victories. Ronaldo has five.
Haaland scored 52 goals and guided Manchester City to three titles last season: the FA Cup, the English Premier League, and the Champions League.
Prior to this, Bonmati had won the Golden Ball for the best player in the Women's World Cup and the UEFA Best Women's Player award. During the competition, she recorded three goals and two assists.
She emulated Alexia Putellas, a teammate who had won the previous two awards.
Sam Kerr and Salma Paralluelo lost to Bonmati.
According to Bonmati, football is extremely popular in our nation. In Spain, we have a special talent.
Last year was the first year that the trophy given out by France Football magazine was determined by performance from the previous campaign. In the past, it was given out according to how well a person performed over a given year. In 1956, Stanley Matthews took home the inaugural Ballon d'Or.
The pandemic caused both the women's trophy, which was created in 2018, and the men's trophy to be canceled in 2020.
Haaland was named the year's best striker by the Gerd Müller Award, while Jude Bellingham was named the best under-21 player.
The audience at the Theatre du Chatelet, which included Mbappe and France coach Didier Deschamps, showered the Argentina goalie with jeers and whistles in addition to his trophy.
The Golden Ball. Love it or hate it, this is the prize that every football player in the world hopes to win in the future. And now, following an incredible and exceptional 2022–2023 season, Lionel Messi has been named the 2023 Golden Ball winner.
The forward for Argentina and Inter Miami won his eighth Ballon d'Or on Monday, October 30 at a lavish ceremony in Paris. The season before had seen him finally win the World Cup, a trophy that had eluded him throughout his illustrious career.
Messi defeated competitors like Erling Haaland and former teammate Kylian Mbappe to win the Golden Ball at Qatar 2022 as the best player of the competition. During the season, Messi also assisted Paris Saint-Germain in winning another Ligue 1 championship.
When all the votes were tallied, how did the remaining 30 men on the shortlist fare? That trio was at the top of the 2023 rankings. See below for the official rankings:
30. Ruben Dias from Manchester, UK
During their 2022–2023 treble run, Man City essentially used four center backs, with Dias being the best of them all. This season's start indicates that he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
29. Arsenal's Martin Odegaard
While Saka was excellent last year, Odegaard was superior. During wearing the armband, he scored 15 crucial goals and provided seven assists, making it an exceptional season. One of the greatest players in Europe right now is a tremendous talent.
Randal, 28 PSG Kolo Muani
Kolo Muani, one of France's most gifted players, at last fulfilled his dreams last season, scoring 14 goals for a faltering Frankfurt team. He earned a big-money transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, where he should succeed alongside France teammate Kylian Mbappe, thanks to that and a strong World Cup campaign.
27. Inter's Nicolo Barella
Barella, the center of one of the greatest midfield trios in Europe, was the main architect of Inter's incredible late-season run. After a few years of impressive performance, he has now finally much deserved recognition for it.
26. Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala
One of the best players in Europe, Musiala kept getting better in 2023, scoring 12 goals and dishing out 10 assists as Bayern Munich made a last-ditch effort to win the Bundesliga. His game-winning goal on the last day of the season against Koln will rank among the most significant in club history.
25. Man City's [Josko Gvardiol]
During the 2022–23 campaign, Gvardiol distinguished himself for both Croatia and RB Leipzig, earning a lucrative transfer to Manchester City. It's likely that he will improve even more there.
24. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka
Saka, another young player who never stops improving, helped Arsenal move up from fifth to second place in the Premier League in 2023 by scoring 14 goals and dishing out 11 assists. The PFA Young Player of the Year has a lot more in store for us.
23. United Manchester's Andre Onana
Onana produced numerous standout performances during Inter's surprising run to the Champions League final. Onana was also among the best goalkeepers in Europe last season, despite his team's loss to Man City in the championship game.
22. Munich's Bayern Min-Jae
Kim, who was arguably the season's best acquisition, played a key role in helping Napoli win the elusive Serie A championship. "The Monster" ought to get better.
21. Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann
While Ronald Araujo and Vini Jr. may have stood out, Griezmann was undoubtedly the best player in La Liga the previous season, according to many. His supporters may have a point—31 goals in La Liga alone to his credit.
20. Inter's Lautaro Martinez
Just the medal from winning the World Cup would make him eligible for inclusion. Martinez can be regarded as one of the season's standout performers when you factor in his crucial run for Inter towards the end of the previous campaign.
19. Bayern Munich's Harry Kane
With 30 Premier League goals, Kane—possibly the best No. 9 in Europe outside of Erling Haaland—had perhaps his best season as a member of a turbulent Spurs team.
18. Jude Bellingham, the Madrid real estate
It is difficult to think Bellingham is only 20 years old. The English midfielder has established himself as Dortmund's best player in Spain after helping the team narrowly miss out on the Bundesliga title the previous season. Although he did not take home the prize this year, it appears that he will in the future.
17. Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Emerging from the shadows in 2022–2023 Kvaratskhelia immediately established himself as one of Europe's leading left-wing politicians. Without their Georgian sensation, who contributed 22 goals in Serie A alone, Napoli would not have been able to win their first Scudetto in thirty-three years last season.
16. Al-Ittihad's Karim Benzema
Benzema scored 19 goals in 24 La Liga starts despite having a poor season for Los Blancos, including a hat-trick against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinal. Not bad for a 35-year-old with a history of persistent injuries.
15. Emi Martinez, a Villa star
Messi was the star of Argentina's World Cup victory, but Martinez's vital saves in both penalty shootouts were also necessary for the team to prevail. Just his late-game one-on-one stoppage of Kolo Muani in the championship game merits a nomination.
14. Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona): Gundogan filled in for Haaland at the end of the previous season during a rare cold spell. For a few years, he was invaluable to Guardiola, and now that he is 33, he is finally receiving recognition. His arrival will be much welcomed by Barcelona.
13. Al-Hilal Yassine Bounou
The 2022 World Cup surprised everyone, and Bounou played a major role in that. His heroics in the Europa League final also enabled Sevilla to win more European trophies.
12. Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski
What more were you hoping for? Lewandowski helped Barca win their first La Liga championship in three years last season despite not playing at his peak. He scored 23 goals in the league. He is aging beautifully.
11. Liverpool's Mohamed Salah
Although Salah scored fewer goals than he had in 2020, he was still one of the best goal scorers in his position. For the majority of the season, he kept a struggling Liverpool team in the European picture with his 30 goals in all competitions.
10. Luka Modric, a Real Madrid player.
Even though Modric is a little bit slower now, he can still perform brilliantly on a large platform, as he demonstrated in the World Cup and Champions League. Though it is well deserved, this may be his last nomination.
9. City's Bernardo Silva
Although Silva performed admirably in the Premier League, his performance in the Champions League semifinal—in which he destroyed Real Madrid to propel City to an unprecedented treble—will live on in the memories of the fans. Guardiola should be appreciative that one of his most devoted employees has chosen to remain with the team.
8. Napoli's Victor Osimhen
Osimhen was always going to be good, but he reached a new height in Serie A last season, racking up 26 goals and four assists. For good measure, he added five more in five Champions League starts.
7. Julian Alvarez (Man City) As the cutting edge and an essential member of a World Cup-winning Argentina team, Alvarez was if Messi was the star. His strong start to the 2023–24 season portends another significant campaign for a team looking to add to its already legendary victories.
6. Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius is now officially a Madrid Galactico after surpassing the 20 goal and 20 assist threshold for both club and country in the previous season. This year, Los Blancos will go as far as he can make them.
5. Man City's Rodri
Rodri, a No. 6 who can play center defense and attack like a No. 10, was possibly Man City's most valuable player the previous season. His Champions League final winning goal.
4. Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne
Although Haaland made headlines for City, De Bruyne was once again the man behind the scenes for Pep Guardiola's team. De Bruyne has played a significant role in their five consecutive Premier League championship victories as well as their treble in 2022–2023 season.
3. Kylian Mbappe (PSG) Hat-tricks in World Cup finals are rare occurrences. Mbappe appeared effortless. He was also quite good at the club level, leading the Parisians to victory in Ligue 1 with 29 goals. With PSG restructured to begin the current season, Mbappe has already made an impact and may have a strong chance of winning the trophy the following year.
2. Man City's Erling Haaland
Haaland may feel disappointed with himself for not winning the championship after scoring 52 goals for City in the previous campaign. He was a game-changing player for a team that managed to improve and is still going strong.
1. Inter Miami's Lionel Messi
Lastly. Last season, Messi concluded his football career, taking home the much-coveted World Cup and emerging as a star. There's still some life left in those legs, as evidenced by his impressive start to life in Miami. Achieved Ballon d'Or No. 8.
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