Lionel Messi surpassed Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to win the Golden Ball for the 8th time in his career, a record that put him far ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.

After being crowned in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021, Lionel Messi lifted the 8th Golden Ball in the majestic setting of the Châtelet theater in Paris. That is an absolute record, far ahead of second-ranked player Cristiano Ronaldo with 5 titles.

In this 2023 race, Messi defeated Erling Haaland (Manchester City) and Kylian Mbappe (PSG). Also winning Ligue 1 with the Parisian club, La Pulga stands out above all with the World Cup title won in December 2022 with the Argentina team against Mbappe in the final.

Messi won the Golden Ball award for the 8th time

In the 2022/23 season, Messi appeared 55 times, scored 32 goals and 25 assists for PSG and Inter Miami. In addition, he also scored 17 goals for the team, including 7 at the World Cup in Qatar alone. All enough to make a difference compared to Haaland, the top scorer of the year and author of the extraordinary treble with Man City (Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup) and Mbappe, the fallen hero in the World Cup. Last Cup, despite the hat-trick in the final and the top scorer award (8), ahead of… Messi. The two also arrived at the ceremony at almost the same time, just before 8:30 p.m., Messi went with his family and Mbappe was alone.

List of players who have won the Golden Ball in history

This visit to Paris was special for Messi as he returned to the French capital a few months after leaving PSG to the boos of the French club’s fans. Here, he won a resounding victory.

Full rankings of the 2023 Golden Ball:

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1. Lionel Messi (Argentina, 36 years old, Paris-SG, Inter Miami)

2. Erling Haaland (NOR, 23 years, Manchester City)

3. Kylian Mbappé (FRA, 24 years old, Paris-SG)

4. Kevin De Bruyne (BEL, 32 years old, Manchester City)

5. Rodri (ESP, 27 years old, Manchester City)

6. Vinicius Jr. (BRA, 23 years old, Real Madrid)

7. Julian Alvarez (Argentina, 23 years old, Manchester City)

8. Victor Osimhen (Nigeria, 24 years old, Naples)

9. Bernardo Silva (Portugal, 29 years old, Manchester City)

10. Luka Modric (Croatia, 38 years old, Real Madrid)

11. Mohamed Salah (Egypt, 31 years old, Liverpool) 12. Robert Lewandowski (Poland, 35 years old, Barcelona) 13. Yassine Bounou (Morocco, 32 years old, Sevilla FC/Al-Hilal) 14.Ilkay Gundogan (Germany , 33 years old, Manchester City/Barcelona) 15. Emiliano Martinez (Argentina, 31 years old, Aston Villa) 16. Karim Benzema (France, 35 years old, Real Madrid/Al-Ittihad) 17. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia, 22 years old, Napoli ) 18. Jude Bellingham (England, 20 years old, Borussia Dortmund/Real Madrid) 19. Harry Kane (England, 30 years old, Tottenham/Bayern Munich) 20. Lautaro Martinez (Argentina, 26 years old, Inter Milan) 21. Antoine Antoine ( France, 32 years old, Atletico Madrid) 22. Min-jae Kim (Korea, 26 years old, Napoli/Bayern Munich), 23. Andre Onana (Cameroon, 27 years old, Inter Milan/Manchester United) 24 . Bukayo Saka (England, 22 years old, Arsenal) 25. Josko Gvardiol (Croatia, 21 years old, RB Leipzig /Manchester City) 26. Jamal Musiala (Germany, 20 years old, Bayern Munich) 27. Nicolo Barella (Italy, 26 years old, Inter Milan) 28. Martin Odegaard (Norway, 24 years old, Arsenal), 28. Randal Kolo Muani (France, 24 years old, Eintracht Frankfurt/Paris-SG) 30. Ruben Dias (Portugal, 26 years old, Man City)