Lionel Messi has reportedly won his eighth Ballon d’Or, ahead of the official ceremony later this month, with the World Cup winner to become the first player outside of the European top flight to win the highly-coveted award.
The Argentine’s eighth trophy will see him further write his name in the history books as the most-decorated recipient of the award, and will also see the 36-year-old reclaim the Ballon d’Or after Karim Benzema won it for the first time in 2022.
Messi has long been the frontrunner to claim the price yet again ahead of the awards ceremony in Paris at the end of October, after leading Argentina to a famous victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Messi’s move to MLS has not stopped his performances
Since finally claiming a World Cup winners’ medal, Messi has completed the switch from the European game to MLS, joining David Beckham’s Inter Miami during the summer transfer window.
The signing of Messi had a transformative effect on the side’s mid-season fortunes, as his instant impact saw the team go from bottom of the pack to win their first-ever Leagues Cup title.
To go with, Inter Miami also reached the final of the US Open Cup, but eventually lost out to Houston Dynamo FC after Messi missed out on that game due to injury.
Womens’ Ballon d’Or winner also leaked
As per Spanish outlet SPORT, the women’s version of the award will likely be won by Aitana Bonmati, who played a major role for Spain as they claimed the Women’s World Cup victory in Australia.
The Barcelona midfielder was awarded as the World Cup’s Player of the Tournament after Spain came out victorious against England in August’s final – she also won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year trophy in September.
Bonmati will be the second consecutive Barcelona player to claim the Ballon d’Or, after her team-mate and compatriot Alexia Putellas was awarded last year.
But as much as the ceremony will have a ‘made in Catalonia’ feel due to Messi’s continuous links with his former side, fans will have to play the waiting game to see both Ballon d’Or winners feature in the same colours in the same season.
Many fans still think Erling Haaland is deserving of the award after playing a major role for Manchester City in their treble-winning campaign, but time will tell if the leak isn’t true.
