Ballon d’Or

LIONEL MESSI has won his eighth Ballon d’Or.The superstar pipped Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to the award after winning the 2022 World Cup.
Lionel Messi has won his eighth Ballon d’OrCredit: AFP
Messi’s successes date back to 2009
The Argentine’s World Cup success was a key reason behind his winCredit: Reuters
Messi, 36, played a pivotal role in Argentina’s success with seven goals, including two in the final.
He also scored a spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out against France and opened the scoring in a tense group game against Mexico where a defeat could have sent Argentina out.
Messi also won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain before inspiring Inter Miami to their first piece of silverware, winning the Leagues Cup.
He has now won 29 trophies in his career and an eighth Ballon d’Or means Messi boasts 45 individual honours.
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Messi now has three more Ballon d’Or titles than Cristiano Ronaldo, who has the next most wins with five.
The Portuguese missed out on a nomination this year following his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
Instead several young talents got the nod including England star Jude Bellingham and Bayern Munich ace Jamal Musiala.
But they missed out on a top three place with Haaland second and Mbappe third.
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The two other English players on the list, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane, finished 24th and 19th respectively, with Saka finishing behind Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Bellingham, 20, picked up the Kopa Trophy for best young player in the world and his 18th place in the Ballon d’Or voting means he is the highest-ranked Englishman. More

ANDRE ONANA has finished higher than Bukayo Saka in the Ballon d’Or to the surprise of fans.Arsenal supporters have been left shocked by the result as the rankings were revealed on Monday night.
Arsenal fans were shocked to see Bukayo Saka finish 24th in the Ballon d’OrCredit: Getty
The ceremony in Paris will see Didier Drogba present the trophy to the best player in the world for the 2022/23 season.
As the countdown to the presentation continued, the players ranked 21st to 25th were revealed.
However, fans were surprised to see Manchester United’s goalkeeper place in 23rd and one spot above Saka.
Reacting on X, formerly Twitter, one supporter wrote: “This Ballon d’Or is the biggest joke of all time.”
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Another added: “These people ranked Onana above Saka? What has the world become?”
A third fan simply fumed: “Rigged!”
Meanwhile, one more commented: “Surely this isn’t serious?!”
Onana has come in for criticism since joining United in the summer after a string of errors between the sticks.
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Andre Onana finished one place above Saka in the rankingsCredit: Getty
However, the Ballon d’Or’s rankings are based on the 2022/23 season, where he played for Inter Milan.
During his final season in Italy, Onana kept 19 clean sheets as his side reached the Champions League final and won the Coppa Italia.
As for Saka, the winger scored 15 goals and provided 11 assists for the Gunners.
He also scored three goals for England as they made it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. More

FOOTBALL’s most prestigious award will be given on October 30, and Lionel Messi is prepared to win the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time.But there are four players who have been denied the title by the Argentine legend over the years including his arch-rival and a Liverpool star.
Lionel Messi is set to win his eighth Ballon d’OrCredit: Getty
Superstar Messi, 36, has been tipped to win the Ballon d’Or at this year’s ceremony on Monday night.
But many fans think Premier League goalscoring machine Erling Haaland deserves this year’s glittering award.
Since the award ceremony began almost 70 years years ago – Messi has become the most decorated winner of the award.
Messi first won the award in 2009 then again in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.
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And on each separate occasion, the former Barcelona star has beaten many of football’s greats.
This includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta, Virgil van Dijk and Robert Lewandowski, who have all come second to the Inter Miami icon.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Runner-up in 2009/11/12/15
The Portuguese star has won the Ballon d’Or an impressive five times.
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But arch-rival Messi has snatched the title from the former Real Madrid star on four occasions.
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Ronaldo may not have a World Cup title unlike Messi but during his nine-year spell at Bernabeu from 2009-2018, he won four Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles and two Copa del Reys. 
He is the Los Blancos’ all-time record goalscorer with 451 goals in 438 appearances.
Ronaldo has snubbed the Argentine for the prestigious title on five occasions in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been snubbed on four occasions for the Ballon d’Or by MessiCredit: AP:Associated Press
Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five timesCredit: Getty
Andres Iniesta – Runner-up in 2010
Iniesta was denied his chance to win the Ballon d’Or by his former Barcelona team-mate in 2010.
The midfielder was a key member of the victorious Spanish team in the 2010 World Cup.
He scored the winning goal in the final against the Netherlands for which he was crowned the Man of the Match.
And to top off his season he won the LaLiga and Champions League with the Catalan giants – but this was not enough to beat Messi.
Andres Iniesta won the 2010 World Cup but lost the Ballon d’Or to former Barcelona team-mate MessiCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Virgil van Dijk – Runner-up in 2019
The Liverpool star is another football great who was snubbed of the French award by football icon Messi.
In the 2018-19 season, the Dutch defender had a jammed-pack term in his first full campaign at Anfield.
He won the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup – plus Van Dijk was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.
However, this was still not enough to secure the Ballon d’Or and the award ended up in the hands of the GOAT once again.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was also snubbed of the Ballon d’Or to Messi in 2019Credit: AFP or licensors
Robert Lewandowski – Runner-up in 2021
Regarded as one of the best strikers of all time – Lewandowski is the fourth star to have the Ballon d’Or snatched from him.
The former Bayern Munich star scored 344 goals in 375 appearances in his six-year spell at the Bundesliga giants.
He has won the Bundesliga Top Scorer Award in seven seasons for both Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.
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In the 2020-21 term, he scored 41 goals in a single campaign breaking Gerd Muller’s 50-year-old record.
But he finished second in the Ballon d’Or that year, just 33 points behind the seven-time winner Lionel Messi.
Bayern Munich legend Robert Lewandowski missed out on the award in 2021 to MessiCredit: EPA More

IGOR BELANOV won the Ballon d’Or before joining the Ukrainian army to defend his country from the Russian invasion.The former striker is one of three players from Ukraine to have won the award, alongside Oleg Blokhin and Andriy Shevchenko.
Igor Belanov won the Ballon d’Or in 1986
He is among three Ukrainians to win the gongCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
He pipped World Cup Golden Boot winner Gary Lineker and Emilio Butragueno to the gong in 1986.
It capped an impressive year for Belanov, who won both the European Cup Winners’ Cup and Soviet Top League with Dynamo Kyiv.
Belanov also finished as the top scorer in the Cup Winners’ Cup with five goals.
Lineker was almost beaten to the World Cup Golden Boot by the Ukrainian too, with Belanov scoring four goals in as many matches for the USSR.
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Those goals included a hat-trick in their quarter-final defeat to Belgium.
He starred for the national team again two years later as they reached the final of the Euros in 1988.
Belanov spent the majority of his career in Ukraine – but did enjoy a five-year spell in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach and Eintracht Braunschweig.
The forward scored eight goals in 33 caps for the USSR before retiring aged 36 in 1997.
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He went on to become a majority shareholder at Swiss club FC Wil but has spent the last five years as an advisor for the Ukrainian national team.
Whilst working in that role, he joined the armed forces in April last year to help protect his country against the Russian invasion.
Belanov visited injured servicemen in hospital with his Ballon d’Or trophy and met with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his hometown Odessa.
The pair held talks with military groups before handing out aid and gifts to military personnel.
In a social media post following his visit, Belanov hailed the soldiers for their “amazing courage and inexhaustible fighting spirit”.
Now 63, Belanov will be involved in this year’s Ballon d’Or awards show as a member of the voting panel for the Kopa Trophy.
The award is given to the best player below the age of 21 and is chosen by a jury of all former Ballon d’Or winners.
This year’s nominees include 2022 winner Gavi and England midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Belanov starred for the USSR at the 1986 World Cup and Euro 1988Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
The forward’s career included a five-year spell in Germany More

JEAN-PIERRE PAPIN became a pop culture icon in France after being made into a caricature by a satirical puppet show.The Marseille icon was also named the French footballer of the year twice during his career.
Jean-Pierre Papin won the Ballon d’Or in 1991Credit: Allsport – Getty
His goalscoring prowess saw the striker win five straight Ligue 1 Golden Boots between 1988 and 1992 with a total of 121 goals.
He also finished as the European Cup’s top scorer three years in a row during that period.
Papin’s ability was recognised in 1991 as he won the Ballon d’Or after winning a league title and reaching the European Cup final with Marseille.
Despite losing the final on penalties to Red Star Belgrade, Papin finally won the Champions League with AC Milan three years later.
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That triumph was one of 11 major trophies he lifted during his career, including six league titles in France and Italy.
Papin also played in Belgium and Germany for Club Brugge and Bayern Munich respectively, as well as scoring 30 goals in 54 caps for France.
However, he is almost just as well known in his home country for the portrayal of him on satirical puppet show Les Guignols de l’Info.
The forward became a pop culture icon in France after the show depicted him as a dumb footballer obsessed with scoring goals.
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Papin became a pop culture icon in France thanks to a puppet showCredit: AP:Associated Press
Their coverage of Papin would later become more sympathetic when he struggled for form whilst playing in Italy.
This included a song which saw God urge Papin to return to Ligue 1 because “France needs you!”
Since retiring, Papin has held several managerial roles in France, including with Strasbourg and Lens.
The 59-year-old returned to Marseille as an advisor in November last year, though, and remains in the role 11 months on.
The Frenchman starred for the likes of Marseille, AC Milan and Bayern MunichCredit: AFP More