Lionel Messi, captain of Inter Miami CF, has been named the 2023 Ballon d’Or winner, becoming the first active player in Major League Soccer (MLS) history to win the most prestigious individual accolade in world football for the eighth time.
The 36-year-old Rosario, Argentina native won the trophy awarded to the best player in the world for a record eighth time, three more than the second player on the list of top winners, after previously collecting the most important individual honor in the game in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021.
This year was another memorable one for the attacking maestro, with highlights including captaining and guiding his country’s national team to their first World Cup title win since 1986 and winning the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title.
Individually, Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball and Silver Boot awards, while at club level, he was named Ligue 1 Best Foreign Player of the Season after scoring 16 league goals and assisting on 16 more.
Furthermore, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he famously broke the record for the most World Cup match appearances (26). He became the only player in World Cup history to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final.
Messi joined Inter Miami in July and made an immediate impact, helping the team win the 2023 Leagues Cup, a historic first trophy for the club, and advance to the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, which will be played in the Club’s DRV PNK Stadium for the first time.
In his first half-season as an Inter Miami player, he made 14 appearances across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and assisting on eight occasions.
Discover more from Where Is The Buzz | Breaking News, Entertainment, Exclusive Interviews & More
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
