Key points:
- Paris St-Germain and Argentina forward Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or – granted to the best footballer of the year – for a record seventh time.
- Messi, 34, helped his nation win the Copa America, his first worldwide honour, and has scored 40 objectives in 2021 – 28 for Barcelona, four for Paris St-Germain and eight for Argentina.
Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski came next, Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho was third and Real Madrid’s French striker Karim Benzema completed fourth.
The Ballon d’Or is decided in favour of by 180 writers from around the world, even though there was no honour in 2020 in light of the Covid pandemic.
Either Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo (five successes) gathered the honour each year from 2008 to 2019, aside from in 2018 when Croatia midfielder Luka Modric won it.
Messi had effectively won the prize a bigger number of times than some other player and his seventh achievement comes after successes in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019.
“It’s unbelievable to be here once more,” he said at the service, held at Paris’ Theater du Chatelet.
“Two years prior I thought it was the last time. Individuals were beginning to ask me when I planned to resign however presently I’m here in Paris and exceptionally cheerful.
“It’s an uncommon year for me with this Copa America title. It implied a great deal to win [1-0 against Brazil in the final] at the Maracana arena and I was so glad to celebrate with individuals from Argentina.
“I couldn’t say whether it’s the greatest year of my life – I’ve had a long vocation – however it was an exceptional one with the title with Argentina after the difficult stretches and the analysis.”
Messi likewise had warm words for the second place, 33-year-old Poland skipper Lewandowski.
“I needed to say to Robert that it was an honour to go facing him,” said Messi. “He had the right to win it the year before.”
Lewandowski scored 53 objectives in all contests in 2021 for Bayern and was granted the Striker of the Year prize, another honour that was just a short time before the function started.
Paris St-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, who assisted Italy with winning Euro 2020, won the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper, while Champions League victors Chelsea were named Club of the Year.
Barcelona midfielder Pedri, 19, won the Kopa Trophy for the best player matured under 21, with England internationals Jude Bellingham, Mason Greenwood and Bukayo Saka coming next, fifth and 6th individually.
Fourteen of the 30 players shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or as of now play in the Premier League.
Chelsea had five players addressed, with third-put Jorginho joined by N’Golo Kante in fifth, Romelu Lukaku in twelfth, Mason Mount in the nineteenth and Cesar Azpilicueta, who tied for 29th.
Head League champions Manchester City had a similar number as Kevin de Bruyne came eighth, Raheem Sterling fifteenth, Riyad Mahrez twentieth, Phil Foden 25th and Ruben Dias 26th.
Manchester United pair Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were 6th and tied for 21st separately, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was seventh and Tottenham’s Harry Kane 23rd.
