Lionel Messi, superstar footballer now playing for Inter Miami CF, has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or for the eighth time. A record that seems hard to beat any time soon.

The Ballon d’Or celebrates the best footballer of the year. The 36-year-old Messi outvoted Erling Haaland of Manchester City to round off a year that saw him lead his country Argentina to a historic FIFA World Cup win.

Prior to the 2023 ceremony in Paris, Lionel Messi had already cemented his position as the record holder, having won the Ballon d’Or seven times, in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021. Apart from him, Cristiano Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or. Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, and Michel Platini each have three victories.

Who is Lionel Messi?

Lionel Andres Messi, commonly known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine footballer who is captain for both the soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team, was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. He has three siblings, and he is the youngest.

Messi made his first team debut in 2003 at the age of 16. Until 2021, he spent his professional career with the Barcelona club where he won a club record 35 trophies. Apart from that, he with 95 goals holds a record for most international goals by a South American male. He also has the most goals for a single club by a player, 672 goals. In 2020, he was also named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.

Although he is considered one the greatest players in the history of football and has scored a total of 10 goals in the five editions of FIFA, he has never won a FIFA World Cup.

He got married to his childhood love, an Argentine model, Antonela Roccuzzo on June 30, 2017. He has three children.

His net worth is estimated to be $620 million with his annual salary at Paris Saint Germain being $35 million.

Messi is one of the most famous personalities in the world of sports and is considered a fantastic goal-scorer.