Inter Miami star Lionel Messi beats Erling Haaland to 2023 Ballon d’Or after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022.

Lionel Messi wins eight Ballon d'Or!

Prior to the glamorous event in Paris, Messi was the clear favorite to win the Golden Ball, and on Monday night, Chelsea great Didier Drogba did actually give him the trophy.

What gave Messi edge in the Ballon d’or quest?

Messi has now won the title of world’s greatest men’s player eight times, and his exploits in the 2022 World Cup went a big way toward guaranteeing that he took home the individual trophy. The captain of Argentina scored in each of their matches throughout the knockout stages, thus bringing an end to their long quest for a world championship. Messi contributed 16 goals and 16 assists to help Paris Saint-Germain win the Ligue 1 championship at the club level.

Messi and Haaland have dominated this year’s Ballon d’Or conversation. The Norwegian was instrumental in helping Pep Guardiola’s team win a historic triple last season, scoring an absurd 52 goals for Man City.

Read also: Bonmati wins Women’s Ballon d’Or 2023

What to expect?

Messi is presently playing for Inter Miami of the Major League Soccer, but he is taking some well-earned time off as they did not qualify for the playoffs. However, he should play in Argentina’s games against Brazil and Uruguay in November.

Read also:

2023 Social Media Image Sizes CHEAT SHEET

12 AI tools to Create Viral Short videos Free