Lionel Messi, widely favored to secure his eighth Ballon d’Or accolade this year, could further solidify his status as the all-time leader in Ballon d’Or wins, moving three steps ahead of his closest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The odds are in Messi’s favor, especially after Argentina’s World Cup victory last year, while Ronaldo, for the first time since 2004, finds himself absent from the nominee list. Messi clinched his seventh Ballon d’Or in 2021 and expressed his belief at the time that his record would remain unchallenged, even by his esteemed rival Ronaldo.
“I don’t know if the record is beatable,” he claimed. “I just have to accept it but I’m not sure if it can be beaten. Seven is really impressive.” Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times, with his last triumph coming in 2017, and has finished runner-up on six occasions.
However, at 38 years old and now competing in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr, Ronaldo’s chances of securing the award again seem slim, particularly after his exclusion from this year’s shortlist. On the other hand, Messi, currently with MLS side Inter Miami, has expressed his thoughts regarding a potential eighth Ballon d’Or victory.
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“I have said it many times, the Ballon d’Or is very important due to the recognition at the individual level, but I never gave it importance,” he said. “The most important thing for me was always the awards at the group level.
“I was lucky to have achieved everything in my career and after the World Cup, I’m thinking about that award much less, my biggest award was that and I’m disguising my moment. If it arrives, good, and if not, nothing happens. I was lucky to achieve all my goals in my career and now I have new goals with this club.”
And Messi has enjoyed an excellent start to life in America, scoring 11 goals in 13 appearances and helping them win the Leagues Cup. However, Miami did fail to make the MLS play-offs and Messi is already looking ahead to next season.
“It’s a shame,” he said. “We came very close. I missed the last few games. We had several injuries. The month of July was very hard for us. We played every three days, and we traveled. But we won a tournament, which is important for the club and for what is coming next year.
“I’ll continue training, participate in our forthcoming match (the season finale), and aim to return to the national team in prime form for November. After that, I look forward to enjoying the holidays in Argentina.”
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