Spain’s Sport magazine has declared that superstar Lionel Messi has won the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, surpassing forward Erling Haaland. La Pulga extends his record with an 8th Ballon d’Or title.
The 67th Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled for October 30 in an elegant event at the Chatelet Theater in Paris, France. However, the identities of the male and female Ballon d’Or winners have been “leaked” according to Sport.
According to the leak, Messi will secure this prestigious individual award for the 8th time, becoming the first player to win this honor while playing outside of Europe, even as the champion of the 2022 World Cup. La Pulga extends his record as the player with the most Ballon d’Or titles in history.
He had previously won the Ballon d’Or 7 times in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021. Messi is believed to have outperformed Erling Haaland, who set numerous goal-scoring records and clinched a historic treble with Manchester City last season. The factor that contributed to Messi’s victory was his World Cup win with Argentina in Qatar last year.
Winning the 2023 award will allow Messi to distance himself from his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the history of the Ballon d’Or. CR7 currently has only been honored five times.
In addition, as per Sport, Barcelona women’s star Aitana Bonmati will be awarded the Ballon d’Or for women. Earlier, another Barca star, Alexia Putellas, secured the award in 2021 and 2022.
Like Messi, this 29-year-old female player led the Spanish women’s national team to victory in the 2023 Women’s World Cup by defeating the England national team 1-0 in August. She was also a key player in Barcelona’s Champions League victory last season.
