- Lionel Messi has clinched his eighth Ballon d’Or title, winning the men’s award at the 2023 ceremony
Lionel Messi has clinched his eighth Ballon d’Or title, winning the men’s award at the 2023 ceremony following his outstanding season for Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina.
Before moving to Inter Miami in the summer, the 36-year-old masterminded Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory, scoring twice during the match before scoring again during a penalty shoot-out, to help his team defeat 2018 winners France.
He also scored 32 goals in 55 league games for PSG, helping the side clinch the Ligue 1 title.
While Messi claimed the main award there were six Man City players included in the rankings with four of them, Haaland, Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Julien Alvarez making the top ten.
It was a big night for Man City, with the club also picking up the best team award, while Haaland claimed the Gerd Müller Trophy for the best striker, after his stunning 52-goal season, helping City win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba got the show underway with players from both the men’s and women’s game arriving alongside some huge names in the world of sport, from David Beckham to even Novak Djokovic.
Before the ceremony had got underway, the lion’s share of the men’s rankings had been announced, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah coming in at 11th, just missing out on the top-ten, despite having enjoyed a stand-out 2022-23 season for Liverpool, scoring 30 goals in 51 games.
Several big names from the Premier League were also named in the top-30 players, with Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard placing at 24th and 28th in the standings respectively, while Manchester United’s Andre Onana, following on from his excellent performance against Man City on Sunday ranked 23rd.
Jude Bellingham, who masterminded Real Madrid’s 2-1 El Clasico win on Saturday, his first appearance in the derby, placed 18th in the standings, while also claiming the Kopa trophy for the best young player.
He also beat Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, who finished 19th in the standings, despite scoring 32 goals last season.
More to follow…
