Lionel Messi wins record seventh Ballon d’Or award
Argentina’s Lionel Messi creates history again on Monday night as he receives his record seventh men’s Ballon d’Or in Paris. Messi was also the winner of the last ceremony of Ballon d’Or, which was held in 2019 before COVID-19 forced the 2020 edition to get canceled.
A unique collection.
7️⃣ in the bag.
Congrats, Leo! pic.twitter.com/2mrEvRqZ8m— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 29, 2021
Messi won this award because of his prolific run with Barcelona as well as his national side Argentina. Although he could not win the league with Barcelona, he led them to a Copa Del Rey victory and scored 38 goals in 48 matches.
The 34-year-old also captained his national side to win his first CONMEBOl Copa America title in July. It was Messi’s first major international title in his long career, which includes a loss in FIFA 2014’s final.
Bayern Munich’s striker and another hot favorite for this year’s Ballon d’Or, Robert Lewandowski, finished second in the rankings. While Jorginho, who won the champions league with Chelsea and Euro 2020 with Italy, was voted third by the jury of journalists worldwide. Ronaldo, the second most Ballon d’Or winner, came in sixth.
Official. Lionel Andrés Messi wins the Ballon d’Or 2021. It’s a record with his seventh Ballon d’Or. ⭐️🇦🇷 #ballondor #Messi
2009: Leo Messi
2010: Leo Messi
2011: Leo Messi
2012: Leo Messi
2015: Leo Messi
2019: Leo Messi
2021: Leo Messi pic.twitter.com/b5Qo3gFkAP— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 29, 2021
Messi won the previous awards in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019. He now has won twice more Ballon d’Or titles than his rival Cristiano Ronaldo and is the only player to have won it in three different decades. The duo has won 13 out of 12 previous editions, with Luka Modric being the exception in 2018.
Congratulations @alexiaputellas! Your talent and commitment represent the 122 years of the Club’s history!
Congratulations @Pedri! With you, the future of the team will be glorious.#BallonDor #TrofeuKopa pic.twitter.com/AjLbZxgKuo
— Joan Laporta Estruch (@JoanLaportaFCB) November 29, 2021
Simultaneously, Alexia Putellas from Barcelona/Spain won the women’s Ballon d’Or. Another Barcelona youngster Pedri of Spain was awarded the Kopa Trophy for youths. Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers, as he won the Euro 2020 last season with Italy.
