Ten years ago in 2013, Lionel Messi won his first Ballon d’Or award in Paris at the age of 22 while at Barcelona. It was an incredible moment for the youngster; an herald of a new chapter.
Since then, Messi has held an unrivaled dominance over others on the award. In the last ten years, he has won the award more than any other player, winning it 8 times.
It is pretty clear Lionel Messi must have had his hands on the Ballon d’Or award for the last time in his career. Interestingly, he narrowly escape the competition from two youngsters – Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe who finished second and third on the Ballon d’Or rankings, respectively.
Prior to the award, Futballnews understood Lionel Messi was a clear favorite to win the award but he faced a stiff competition from Haaland and Mbappe.
A leaked report by Spanish outlet sport, that Lionel Messi is the winner designate for the award, was widely contested by pundits and football fans as Erling Haaland seemed to have had the better of the Argentine last season. However, the Argentine is still considered a deserved winner after he won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.
Messi names four youngsters that will dominate Ballon d’Or award after him
After receiving his 8th Ballon d’Or award, Lionel Messi named four players who will dominate the award in the nearest future. Leading his list of the players is Erling Haaland, who scored 52 goals for Manchester City last term.
Kylian Mbappe, who came third on the Ballon d’Or rankings also made Messi’s list, including Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr and Barcelona youngster Lamine Jamal.
“Haaland, Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr and many young players can compete for the Ballon d’Or in the next years…”
“I also think Lamine Yamal, who is still very young and plays for Barcelona will play prominent role and fight for it in the future too,” he said.
Messi’s ”many young players” can include other youngsters like Jude Bellingham and Jamaal Musiala who are also of outstanding careers for club and country.
