On Monday, Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in his career. The event in Paris was full of famous people.
Messi, 36, takes over the award from Karim Benzema as the winner. He was given it for his great play last season, when he led Argentina to victory at the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland were strong competitors, but Messi was able to beat them all with his performance in Qatar, where he led his country to a win that will go down in history.
Messi is given his 8th Ballon d’Or by Beckham (R) at the 2023 Ballon d’Or France Football award ceremony in Paris on October 30, 2023. The ceremony took place at the Theatre du Chatelet. Picture: AFP
Haaland came in second, Mbappe came in third, and Kevin De Bruyne came in fourth.
After Argentina beat France on penalties in the World Cup final in Doha, Messi was named the event’s best player. He scored seven goals in the tournament.
Even though Messi won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009, his last season at Paris Saint-Germain wasn’t great either. He left to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
Picture: AFP
His amazing play at the World Cup, where he scored eight goals and including a hat-trick in the final for France, along with his old PSG partner Mbappe, made his case.
Mbappe at the Dinner and Awards Show for the 2023 Ballon d’Or in Paris on October 30, 2023. Picture: Reuters
Norway’s Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 games for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, which helped them win the English Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.
The 2023 Ballon d’Or France Football award event took place in Paris on October 30, 2023. Haaland was on stage next to Lineker (L) and made a gesture as he received the Gerd Muller Trophy for Best Striker. Picture: AFP
Someone from that City team, like De Bruyne, put him up for the award.