Messi is the “first” in football

Argentine legend Lionel Messi dyed himself gold after winning the Golden Ball for the eighth time in his career presented by the French magazine “France Football”, moving away from his Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo by three titles (5 Golden Balls), establishing himself as first in the world in terms of collective and individual achievements. Many even went on to say that he “stamped football.”

It is considered the eighth coronation in the career of the “Tango Captain” and the Inter Miami star (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023), benefiting from winning the World Cup title “Qatar 2022”, beating the two rising stars, the Norwegian giant Manchester City, Erling. Haaland (23 years old), who won the historic treble with his team last season, led by the Champions League, and Frenchman Kylian Mbappé (24 years old), the Paris Saint-Germain striker, the World Cup runner-up with his country and the owner of extraordinary abilities, as both players finished in second and third place, respectively, behind Messi.

Emirates Today monitors seven historical points that make Messi “first in football” after Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the year 2023.

Why is Messi the “Golden Ball legend”?

■ The first player to win the Ballon d’Or in three different decades.

■ The first player to win the Ballon d’Or while playing outside Europe.

■ Record holder in the number of Ballon d’Or voting points.

■ The first player to win the Ballon d’Or at the age of 36.

■ The first player in the American League and Inter Miami to win the Golden Ball.

■ The first player to win the Ballon d’Or with three different clubs: Barcelona, ​​Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Miami.

■ He became the player who appeared most on the Ballon d’Or platform.

• The giant Haaland took second place in the Paris ceremony… and the “superhero” Mbappe took third place.