Lionel Messi wins eighth Ballon d’Or, becomes first active MLS player to be named world's best
Lionel Messi was crowned the Ballon d'Or winner as the world's best soccer player for the eighth time during the annual awards ceremony Monday in Paris.
The nod extends Messi's record as the only person to claim the trophy, which is handed out annually by French magazine France Football, more than five times.
Widely considered the greatest player in history, the 36-year-old Messi took home the honor after leading his native Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar. Messi won the Golden Ball as the best player at the sport's marquee tournament after scoring seven goals, including two in the final against defending champion France. It was Argentina's third World Cup win and first since Diego Maradona captained the Albiceleste to the title in 1986.
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Messi also helped Paris Saint Germain to the Ligue 1 title in May, pacing France's top circuit with 16 assists. In July, he signed for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer and immediately led the Herons to their first trophy since launching three years ago, scoring 10 goals in seven Leagues Cup matches as Miami beat out 46 other teams from MLS and Mexico's Liga MX to win the competition.
[Related: Aitana Bonmatí wins Ballon d'Or Féminin after leading Spain to World Cup title]
Messi edged Manchester City striker Erling Haaland for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. French star Kylian Mbappé and Haaland’s Man City teammate Kevin De Bruyne were the other finalists.
Haaland scored a whopping 52 goals in 53 games for Manchester City in 2022-23, 36 of them in the English Premier League — shattering a record that had stood for almost three decades. Haaland's strikes helped the Sky Blues hoist the Prem, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League crowns in his maiden season with the club. City manager Pep Guardiola, who coached Messi at Barcelona from 2008-2012, said earlier this month that both Haaland and Messi are worthy of this year's award.
"Always I said the Ballon d'Or should be in two sections; one for Messi, then after another one," said Guardiola. "We won the treble, he scored a million goals. The worst season for Messi is the best for the rest of the players.
"Both deserve it," he added. "I want Haaland to have it because he helped us achieve what we achieved. I would love it. But Messi won the World Cup."
Mbappé, who spent two seasons with Messi at PSG before leaving for Miami last summer, was the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot recipient. He scored eight times in Qatar, including a hat trick in a losing effort for Les Bleus in the final against Messi and Argentina.
Messi becomes the first active MLS player to claim the Ballon d'Or. Three former winners — Germany's Lothar Matthäus, Bulgaria's Hristo Stoichkov and Brazil's Kaká, joined the North American league years later.
[Related: Lionel Messi took MLS by storm in 2023. What can the GOAT do for an encore in 2024?]
Messi also won the Ballon d'Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo has five career wins, while Michel Platini (France), Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten (both of the Netherlands) each won the award — for which South American players weren't considered until 1995 — three times.
In 2016, France Football said Brazilian great Pelé would've won it on seven occasions between 1958 and 1970 had he been eligible.
French striker Karim Benzema claimed the hardware last year.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men's and women's national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.