The Inter Miami forward has now become the first player in history to win the Ballon d’Or while playing club football for a team outside Europe.
Messi’s latest success is not unconnected to his triumph at the Qatar 2022 World Cup with Argentina, winning the tournament’s best player in the process.
In the women’s game, Spain’s World Cup-winning star, Aitana Bonmati, won the Ballon d’Or Féminin for the first time in her career after a heroic season with Barcelona.
Ballon d’Or winners are determined through votes from selected 100 journalists across the globe.
The journalists vote based on three criteria, namely players’ individual performances, collective performances, and a player’s sense of fair play.
