- Lionel Messi secured his eighth Ballon d’Or title in Paris on Monday evening
- The world champion left Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe behind for the award
Lionel Messi has secured his eighth Ballon d’Or title after his outstanding season for Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina, winning the men’s prize at the 2023 ceremony.
Before joining Inter Miami in the summer, the 36-year-old led Argentina’s victory at the 2022 World Cup, scoring twice during the game before scoring again in the shootout, helping his team become 2018 winners, France, to defeat.
He also scored 32 goals in 55 league games for PSG, helping the team win the Ligue 1 title.
David Beckham, the co-owner of his current club, presented him with the award at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris to a standing ovation from the audience.
“It’s nice to be here again and enjoy this moment,” says Messi. “To win the World Cup and make my dream come true.”
Didier Drogba, who officiated the ceremony, asked if this Ballon d’Or was special considering he won the 2022 World Cup, to which the 36-year-old replied: “They are all special.”
He added: “I couldn’t imagine the career I’ve had and everything I’ve achieved, being lucky enough to be part of the best team in history.”
He prevailed against strong competition: Erling Haaland came second, Kylian Mbappe third and Kevin De Bruyne fourth.
The ranking included six Man City players, four of whom, Haalan, Rodri (5th), Julien Alvarez (7th) and Bernardo Silva (9th), reached the top ten.
It was a big night for Man City, with the club also picking up the best team award, while Haaland won the Gerd Müller trophy for best striker after his impressive 52-goal season, helping City win the Premier League , winning the FA Cup and the Champions League.
Former Chelsea star Drogba opened the show with players from both men’s and women’s football as well as some big names from the world of sport, from David Beckham to even Novak Djokovic.
Vinicius Jr. finished sixth behind Rodri in the top 10 and was also awarded the Socrates Prize earlier in the evening in recognition of the work he has done off the pitch in the fight against racism.
Napoli star Victor Osimhen, who scored a whopping 31 goals in 39 games for the Serie A side, finished eighth in the rankings, one place ahead of Bernardo Silva.
Real Madrid’s Luka Modric finished 10th in the rankings, while Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah was 11th, narrowly missing out on the top ten despite having an outstanding 2022/23 season for Liverpool, scoring 30 goals in 51 games .
Several big names from the Premier League were also included in the top 30 player list, including Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard at 24th and 28th overall, while Manchester United’s Andre Onana recalled his excellent performance against Man City continued on Sunday in 23rd place.
Jude Bellingham, who led Real Madrid’s 2-1 win in El Clasico on Saturday, his first appearance in the derby, finished 18th in the standings while also lifting the Kopa trophy for best young player.
He also beat Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, who finished 19th in the standings despite scoring 32 goals last season.
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Ballon d’Or rankings
- 1. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
- 2. Erling Haaland (Man City)
- 3. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
- 4. Kevin de Bruyne (Man City)
- 5. Rodri (Man City)
- 6. Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)
- 7. Julian Alvarez (Man City)
- 8. Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
- 9. Bernardo Silva (Man City)
- 10. Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
- 11. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
- 13. Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal)
- 14. Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona)
- 15. Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
- 16. Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad)
- 17. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
- 18. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
- 19. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
- 20. Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
- 21. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
- 22nd – Kim Min-Jae (Bayern Munich)
- 23rd – Andre Onana (Manchester United)
- 24th – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
- 25th – Josko Gvardiol (Man City)
- 26. – Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
- 27. – Nicola Barella (Inter Milan)
- = 28th – Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint Germain) and Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
- 30th – Ruben Dias (Man City)