2023 Ballon d'Or will take centre stage on October 30 as the footballing world waits expectantly to see who will win the top awards from France Football.
Erling Haaland after leading Argentina to the World Cup last year.
Messi, 36, becomes the first MLS-based player to claim the coveted prize, although the triumph comes largely on the back of his exploits with his country in Qatar. Former Manchester United player and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham handed his prize-signing Messi the award in Paris.
Messi thanked his Argentina coach, teammates and staff for making his victory possible.
“Tonight I’m enjoying myself. It’s a pleasure that will never leave me, and I hope to be able to enjoy it for many years to come,” Messi said through a translator. “Becoming world champion was the title we were missing. I’d like to thank everyone who helped make Argentina the world champion team.”
Messi's main rival for the 2023 prize was Erling Haaland, who came second following a vote among 100 journalists - one from each of the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations.
Those journalists were asked to base their decision on the players' performances and achievements between August 1 in 2022 and July 31 in 2023.
The awards ceremony will once again take place at the prestigious Parisian venue the Theare du Chatelet with multiple awards on offer including the Ballon d'Or Feminin, the Kopa Trophy and the Yashin Trophy.
Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba will be hosting the ceremony at which Lionel Messi has been tipped to win the main prize for a record-extending eighth time.
At 36 years and four months old, he also becomes the second oldest player to ever win the Ballon d'Or, replacing last year's winner Karim Benzema. Only the inaugural winner, Stanley Matthews in 1956, was older when he won it aged 41.
Messi's first six Ballons d'Or were won while he played for Barcelona, where he is the club's record goalscorer and appearance holder, while he won it for a seventh time shortly after joining PSG in 2021 following Copa America success with Argentina.
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