By: Ethan Hou

Photo by Ank Kumar on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

On October 30th 2023, football icon Lionel Messi earned his eighth Ballon d’Or that followed a remarkable footballing season for Paris Saint Germain and Argentina’s national team. 

From mesmerizing goals to unexpected assists, Messi was far from average in the 2022-2023 season. In December 2022, the 36-year-old led Argentina to their first World Cup title since 1986. His success was present domestically as well. In France’s Ligue 1, Messi tallied 32 goal contributions and won the title alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr.

“It’s always special to be recognized… I couldn’t have dreamed of having the career that I had, everything I’ve achieved.”

Lionel Messi

Messi finished 105 votes above Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. Consequently, discourse was created within the football world. Some fans believed that Messi deserved the Ballon d’Or as a result of his World Cup heroics. Others favoured Haaland who won the treble (the major trophies) and set the record for the most goals in a Premier League season (36 goals). 

The Ballon d’Or is an annual award which is given to the best player each season. Messi was a recipient of the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 2021 and 2023 editions of this award. 

The Argentinian superstar is expected to celebrate his great achievement with his friends, family and Inter Miami teammates throughout the MLS offseason.

Works Cited

Pretot, Julien, and Rohith Nair. “Messi Wins Record Eighth Ballon d’Or for Best Player in the World.” Reuters, 1 Nov. 2023, http://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/messi-wins-record-eighth-ballon-dor-best-player-world-2023-10-31. Accessed 14 Nov. 2023.