Lionel Messi’s Record-Breaking Ballon d’Or Wins: Despite leaving Europe in the summer to sign a free transfer to Inter Miami, Lionel Messi won the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
After his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired, Messi decided to go to Florida, and he has enjoyed an incredible start to his life in the United States.
Lionel Messi’s Record-Breaking Ballon d’Or Wins
Lionel Messi’s Record-Breaking Ballon d’Or Wins, Messi was able to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or despite not being a Champions League competitor because of the shift in the voting rules, which now centres on the previous season instead of the calendar year. Erling Haaland, the prolific goal scorer for Manchester City, lost out to him for the trophy.
This criterion shift turned out to be crucial because Messi’s winning performance in the 2022 World Cup was mostly due to his inspirational leadership of the Argentina national squad.
Lionel Messi has surpassed his former adversary Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award five times, to become the most decorated player in Ballon d’Or history with a total of eight trophies won between 2009 and 2023.
It’s important to note that Messi won six Ballon d’Or awards while he was a player for Barcelona and one more in 2021 while he was a player for Paris Saint-Germain. It is noteworthy that he is the first football player to win the award while competing in Major League Football, even though his 2023 success is not dependent on his performance for Inter Miami.
Here’s a summary of Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or wins:
- 2009: Barcelona (Age 22) – Achievements: 2008/09 La Liga, 2008/09 Copa del Rey, 2009 Supercopa de España, 2008/09 Champions League, 2009 UEFA Super Cup, 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.
- 2010: Barcelona (Age 23) – Achievements: 2009/10 La Liga, 2010 Supercopa de España.
- 2011: Barcelona (Age 24) – Achievements: 2010/11 La Liga, 2011 Supercopa de España, 2010/11 Champions League, 2011 UEFA Super Cup, 2011 FIFA Club World Cup.
- 2012: Barcelona (Age 25) – Achievements: 2011/12 Copa del Rey.
- 2015: Barcelona (Age 28) – Achievements: 2014/15 La Liga, 2014/15 Copa del Rey, 2014/15 Champions League, 2015 UEFA Super Cup, 2015 FIFA Club World Cup.
- 2019: Barcelona (Age 32) – Achievements: 2018/19 La Liga.
- 2021: Barcelona/PSG (Age 34) – Achievements: 2020/21 Copa del Rey.
- 2023: PSG/Argentina (Age 36) – Achievements: 2022 Trophee des Champions, 2022/23 Ligue 1, 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Lionel Messi’s historic Ballon d’Or wins make him the player with the most awards to his name, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Furthermore, the ranking of players with the most Ballon d’Or wins is as follows:
- Lionel Messi: 8 wins (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023)
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 5 wins (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
- Michel Platini: 3 wins (1983, 1984, 1985) Johan Cruyff: 3 wins (1971, 1973, 1974) Marco van Basten: 3 wins (1988, 1989, 1992)
- Franz Beckenbauer: 2 wins (1972, 1976) Ronaldo: 2 wins (1997, 2002) Alfredo Di Stefano: 2 wins (1957, 1959) Kevin Keegan: 2 wins (1978, 1979) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: 2 wins (1980, 1981)
Lionel Messi’s incredible achievement further solidifies his place in football history.
