The start of the week was marked by the France Football Ballon d’Or ceremony, which crowned Lionel Messi for the 8th time in his career.
There were no long speeches, flashy costumes or tributes to a frustrated Cristiano this time around. But Lionel Messi has once again raised the most prestigious of individual distinctions. For the 8th time in his immense career, the native of Rosario was crowned France Football Ballon d’Or. A reward that stems from his epic World Cup with Argentina.
Unlike the year 2022 where Karim Benzema was unanimous, Lionel Messi’s title was not obvious. Erling Haaland could also apply after his shower of goals and his fantastic Champions League-Premier League-FA Cup treble with Manchester City.
Ballon d’Or: astonishing votes for Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé, for his part, had his say as the Bondy prodigy finished second top scorer in Europe behind Haaland, while leaving his mark on the World Cup with 8 goals scored and a hat-trick in an epic final.
Editor-in-chief of France Football, Vincent Garcia revealed some details on the details of the votes, which will be known in the edition to be published on Saturday. And against all expectations, Kylian Mbappé remains popular in South America despite his controversial comments on the competitiveness of football on the continent. “Mbappé had 1st places, including in South America and Central America“, explained the journalist, adding that Messi’s lead took time to emerge during the count. “At the start of the count it was quite close between the 3, then it was quite tight between the 2 and at the end Messi took a comfortable lead”.
