Messi Lifts His 7th Ballon d’Or Trophy
Argentine forward Lionel Messi has claimed his seventh Ballon d’Or, beating Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and Italian midfielder Jorginho for the top honour.
Messi, who moved from Barcelona to Paris St Germain this summer, retained the prestigious award on Monday, breaking his own record set in 2019 when he won the Ballon d’Or for the sixth time. Messi won his first international tournament with Argentina this year, as he assisted his national team to lift the Copa America trophy.
The Ballon d’Or was not awarded last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s incredible to be here again. Two years ago I thought it was the last time. Winning the Copa America was key,” Messi, said after receiving the award in Paris.
His main rival, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo came in sixth in the 2021 Ballon d’Or ranking and did not attend the ceremony.
