Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or a record seven times and could extend his lead over nearest rival Cristiano Ronaldo this year, with the former Real Madrid and Manchester United stars weren’t even nominated
Lionel Messi could extend his record for most Ballon d’Or wins to eight this year, moving three ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi is the favorite to win the award following Argentina’s World Cup victory last year, while Ronaldo is nominated for the first time since 2004. Messi won his seventh Ballon d’Or two years ago in 2021 and said after the ceremony that he was confident no one, including his closest rival Ronaldo, could surpass his record.
“I don’t know if this record can be broken,” he claimed. “I can just accept it, but I’m not sure it can be beaten. Seven is really impressive.” Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times, the last time in 2017, and has been runner-up six times.
However, the 38-year-old, who is now playing in the Saudi Professional League with Al-Nassr, seems unlikely to win the award again, especially after not making this year’s shortlist. Messi, meanwhile, has expressed his thoughts on an eighth Ballon d’Or when asked about it after signing for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami this summer.
“I’ve said many times that the Ballon d’Or is very important because of the recognition it gives on a personal level, but I’ve never paid much attention to it,” he said. “The most important thing for me is always the awards at the group level.
“I’ve been lucky enough to achieve everything in my career and after the World Cup I think a lot less about the award, my biggest award is that and I’m covering up my moment. If it comes it’ll be great Well, if not, nothing happened. I was lucky enough to achieve all the goals I set out to achieve in my career and now I have new goals at this club.”
Messi got off to a great start in the United States, scoring 11 goals in 13 appearances and helping the team win the League Cup. However, the Miami Heat failed to reach the Major League Soccer play-offs, and Messi has begun to look ahead to next season.
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“It’s a shame,” he said. “We were very close. I missed the last few games. We had a couple of injuries. July was very tough for us. We played every three days and we traveled. But we won one game and that was good for us. It’s important for the club and how it goes next year.
“I will train, I will play in the upcoming games (the last of the season) and I will try to be here in the best possible way in November. After that, I will enjoy my holidays in Argentina.
“For the first time, I have more time off in December, with vacation, peace of mind, and being with my people. In January, I will be back again for pre-season. Start from scratch and be ready.” As always, the best possible. “
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Lionel Messi has made an immediate impact in Major League Soccer since his move to Inter Miami. Messi has once again become the most talked about player in the game as he helped the club to glory and put them top of the table, and now you can get your hands on a stylish Inter Miami home and away jersey made by adidas.