- Lionel Messi poses with sports superstars with championship rings
- Adidas awards him 14-carat gold ring after winning Ballon d’Or
- Click here to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off
Lionel Messi won the men’s Ballon d’Or for the eighth time at the 2023 awards ceremony following an outstanding season.
The Argentine led his country to World Cup glory in last year’s World Cup final, beating France on penalties.
He also scored an astonishing 32 goals in 55 games for PSG in all competitions, helping the team win the French Ligue 1 title. The striker moved to MLS side Inter Miami in the summer and has already started a successful life in the United States – helping the team win the Carabao Cup against Nashville.
As well as winning another Ballon d’Or, the striker also collected eight gold rings.
The Inter Miami forward has been awarded a 14-karat gold ring by sportswear giant Adidas. Each ring will reportedly be auctioned off, marking one of Messi’s Ballon d’Or wins.
Their inscriptions relate to unforgettable moments in Messi’s career, with one bearing three stars to commemorate Argentina’s World Cup victory and the other the number “91” to commemorate his goalscoring record in a calendar year.
Each ring represents the following meaning:
- 2009: ‘El Beso’ – a tribute to Messi’s celebrations during Barcelona’s Champions League win over Manchester United
- 2010: “Apunta Al Cielo” – a tribute to the mysterious celebration he held for his grandmother Celia
- 2011: “GOAT” – the representative of the Barcelona team led by Guardiola
- 2012: “91” – a record number of goals scored in a single calendar year.
- 2015: To mark his last Champions League title.He won four games for Barcelona
- 2019: Won the final Golden Boot.His six scoring runs were a record
- 2021: Win the “South American Championship” of the Copa America, become MVP and top scorer.
- 2023: Three stars to commemorate Argentina’s third World Cup win.
“It’s great to be here again and enjoy this moment,” Messi said. “To be able to win the World Cup and fulfill my dream.”
He mimicked a similar pose from an iconic 1996 photo of 11-time NBA champion Russell. Messi wears eight rings and the football icon posed for an epic photo with his championship rings alongside many of the sport’s biggest stars.
Back in October, Tom Brady took to Instagram to celebrate the Las Vegas Aces’ WNBA Finals victory while adding a championship ring to his collection.
The Aces defeated the New York Liberty 70-69 in a thrilling Game 4 to clinch their second straight title — less than a month after Brady was officially approved as a minority owner of the team.
This is Brady’s eighth championship after winning an astonishing seven bowl titles in the NFL (six with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers).
His last Super Bowl success came in 2021, when he won the championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Shortly after winning his last Super Bowl, Brady showed off his collection of championship rings.
“How it started and how it went,” Brady captioned the post on Instagram, posting a photo from his early days with the New England Patriots, and A photo of him wearing all seven rings.
One of the greatest quarterbacks of all time retired earlier this year.
Former NBA star Michael Jordan won all six championship rings with the Chicago Bulls. He is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
Jordan reached the NBA Finals six times in his career and won them all in dominant fashion – without ever having to go to a Game 7. His six NBA championships are among the most accomplished players in the sport.
Each ring is reportedly worth around £123,000 ($150,000), with six rings worth nearly a million dollars.
After a stellar career with the Bulls and Washington Wizards, Jordan decided to call it quits in 2003.