The debates will persist, and conspiracy theories will continue to be bandied about, but France Football chose Lionel Messi, as the winner of the 2023 Ballon d’Or for an unprecedented eighth time.
At 35, Messi received the accolade for his pivotal role in leading Argentina to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, an achievement that took him five attempts.
The winner was determined by a panel of one journalist from each of the world’s top 100 countries, based on the FIFA rankings. Messi became the 45th forward to receive this prestigious award out of the 67 winners in history.
The criteria for selection included individual performance, team performance and achievements (both at the club and international level), and displaying class and fair play. It’s worth noting that Messi is the first player to claim this honour while not playing in Europe. France Football wrote, “Messi is infinity”.
He won it first in 2009 as a 23-year-old and followed it in three consecutive years—2010, 2011, and 2012. He won it again in 2015, 2019, and 2021, before winning his eighth on Monday night in Paris.
Messi outshone his younger competitors, such as Kylian Mbappe, who led France to the 2022 World Cup final and even scored a memorable hat trick against Argentina, and Erling Haaland, who netted 52 goals, propelling Manchester City to a historic treble consisting of Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League titles.
David Beckham, the owner of Inter Miami, Messi’s current club, presented the male Ballon d’Or award to Messi, who received a standing ovation from the audience, which included his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three boys.
There was more Nigerian flavour at the award as Rema performed his hit song ‘Baby, calm down’. The Nigerian artist strode down the stairs and shook the hands of all the players seated in the front row.
World No. 1 male tennis player Novak Djokovic presented the women’s Ballon d’Or award to Barcelona and World Cup-winning Spain forward Aitana Bonmati. Sam Kerr of Chelsea and Australia came in second and 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo of Spain and Barcelona came third.
Sandy Heribert and Didier Drogba were the hosts of the event, and during the ceremony, Drogba encouraged Vinicius to continue to address the issue of racism, particularly in light of the recurring incidents targeting the Real Madrid player in La Liga. Drogba expressed his support by telling Vinicius, “You are not alone,” and he called on governments to take more substantial actions to combat this ongoing malaise.
Emiliano Martinez of Argentina and Aston Villa received the Lev Yachine Trophy, and he was pleasantly surprised when his father presented him with the award. Martinez’s exceptional performances for Argentina, notably his last-minute save from Randall Kolo Muani’s goal-bound shot, helped his nation secure victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final.
The Prefecture de Police, who used a speed boat to make their way to the Theatre du Chatelet venue in Paris, transported the prizes for the event.
Other winners
Jude Bellingham won the 2023 Kopa Trophy as the best U-21 male player
The Socrates Prize went to Vinicius Junior for his work for the underprivileged in Brazil
FC Barcelona Fenemi won the Women’s Club of the Year award
The Gerd Muller Trophy went to Haaland
Manchester City won the Team of the Year award
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