Lionel Messi wins record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or

• Lionel Messi wins record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or in a glamorous event held in Paris, France.
• Messi defeated Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain to take home the trophy.
• The winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or was Aitana Bonmati, who defeated Salma Parralluelo and Sam Kerr.

In a glamorous event held in Paris, France, Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina and Inter Miami, took home the eighth Ballon d’Or prize, setting a new record. Messi defeated Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain to take home the trophy.

After winning the FIFA World Cup title in Qatar last year, the 36-year-old had a season to remember. In 55 games in all competitions, Messi had 32 goals and 25 assists. While leading Inter Miami to the Leagues Cup victory this year, he also assisted PSG in winning the Ligue 1 championship in 2023–2024.

Lionel Messi helped Argentina win the World Cup. Photo/Getty Images

Messi helped Argentina win their third World Cup title in Qatar thanks to an outstanding World Cup performance. In seven games, he recorded seven goals and three assists. At the Lusail Stadium, Messi scored twice in the final match of the tournament to help Argentina defeat France on penalties after Mbappe had scored a hat-trick. In addition to receiving the Golden Ball, which is awarded to the top player in the competition, he was chosen Man of the Match in the final match of the competition.

In addition, Messi made FIFA World Cup history by being the first player to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final games.

Mbappe, meanwhile, finished the previous season with 43 goals and 10 assists in 43 games for PSG. In 53 games, Haaland contributed nine assists and 52 goals as Manchester City became only the second English team to achieve the prestigious triple, winning the FA Cup, the Premier League, and the UEFA Champions League.

BONMATI WINS THE WOMEN’S BALLON D’OR

Aitana Bonmati wins the women’s Ballon d’Or. Photo/Goal

The winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or was Aitana Bonmati, who defeated Salma Parralluelo and Sam Kerr. Along with winning the Golden Ball trophy in the competition, she led Spain to victory in the Women’s World Cup 2023. The 25-year-old midfielder won the Women’s Champions League and La Liga with Barcelona in the previous campaign.

Following in the footsteps of colleague Alexia Putellas, who took home the prize the previous two seasons, Bonmati won it for the first time.

OTHER AWARDS

Jude Bellingham wins Kopa Trophy at Ballon d’Or ceremony. Photo/ beIN

The Kopa Trophy for the best player under 21 was given to Jude Bellingham, a midfielder for Real Madrid and England. Bellingham helped Borussia Dortmund finish second in the German Bundesliga last season with 14 goals in 42 games. After that, the twenty-year-old moved to Real Madrid, where he has scored 13 goals in 13 games, including a brace against rival Barcelona.

Erling Haaland, a striker for Manchester City, won the Gerd Muller Trophy for most goals scored. The Norwegian striker scored 56 goals in both club and national tournaments the previous year. The Yachine Trophy, which was awarded to the best goalie from the previous season, went to Emiliano Martinez, the World Cup champion.

The Men’s Club of the Year Award went to Manchester City for the second consecutive year. After Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United team of 1998–1999, City became the second team to win the coveted treble. FC Barcelona Femeni, meanwhile, was named Women’s Club of the Year. Barcelona won the Champions League for the second consecutive year and the La Liga championship for an unprecedented eighth time.