Argentine football star Lionel Messi became an eight-time winner of the Ballon d'Or 2023, the annual award for the best football player of the season.
The 36-year-old Argentine has previously won the Ballon d'Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021, making him the record winner of the award. His closest pursuer is Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who has received this prestigious award five times.
Last year, Messi won the World Cup in Qatar with the Argentina national team and was recognized as the best player of the tournament.
Established by the French magazine France Football in 1956, the Ballon d'Or is believed to be the most prestigious and valuable individual award for a football player. From 1956 to 2006, the best football player of the season, receiving the Ballon d'Or, was voted for by football journalists. Since 2007, coaches and captains of national teams have also been eligible to vote.
Between 2010 and 2016, the France Football award was suspended following the creation of a new award, the FIFA Golden Ball, as a result of an agreement between France Football and the International Association Football Federation (FIFA). In 2016, the partnership between the two organizations was terminated, so the France Football Ballon d'Or award was reinstated and FIFA established a new award called "The Best FIFA Men's Player."