INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Argentina captain Lionel Messi won a record eighth Ballon d&Or for the best player in the world on Monday, beating Norway&s UEFA player of
the year and treble winner Erling Haaland of Manchester City to the prestigious prize, Reuters reported.Inter Miami&s Messi, who last won
the award in 2021, played a pivotal role in guiding Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years when they beat defending champions
France in the final last year.The 36-year-old is now three Ballons d&Or clear of rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the last of his five
Messi has now finished among the top three a record 14 times in total, finishing runner-up on five occasions.&I couldn&t imagine having the
Everything that I&ve achieved
The fortune I&ve had playing for the best team in the world, the best team in history
It&s nice to win these individual trophies
To win the Copa America and then the World Cup, to get it done is amazing,& Messi said.&All of them (Ballon d&Or awards) are special for
different reasons,& he added.&I&m happy to get that recognition that I&m getting thanks to what we have achieved with the national team,&
Messi told Reuters.&This (World Cup) title we had been aiming for so many years makes it even more special.&Asked if he would carry on until
the 2026 World Cup, Messi said: &I don&t think about it
I&ll enjoy (my career) day by day
There will first be the Copa America in the United States (in 2024)
(The World Cup), I don&t think about it.&Earlier, Messi&s World Cup-winning team mate Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin award for the
world&s best goalkeeper, read the report.Spain&s Women&s World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women&s Ballon
d&Or.&It&s an individual trophy but it can&t exist without a team,& she told reporters.Messi, who won his first Ballon d&Or in 2009 and
claimed four in a row until 2012, finished second to Haaland at the UEFA awards in August, Reuters reported.Haaland, 23, was one of the firm
favourites for his first Ballon d&Or after scoring 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions last season as City won the Champions League,
Premier League and FA Cup.But Argentina&s magical run at the World Cup in Qatar, where Messi earned the Golden Ball for best overall player
and Silver Boot (seven goals and three assists), helped him pip the Norwegian striker to the award.The World Cup was the only major trophy
missing from Messi&s resume as Argentina made amends for losing the 2014 final to Germany while in March he became only the third player in
history to score 100 international goals.Messi also won the Ligue 1 title with Paris St Germain before moving to Inter Miami, where he
helped the Major League Soccer side win the Leagues Cup — their first major trophy.Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham won
the Kopa Trophy for the best Under-21 player, while club team mate Vinicius Jr
was awarded the Socrates Award for his humanitarian work off the pitch, read the report.The post Messi wins record eighth Ballon d&Or for
best player in the world first appeared on Ariana News.
