Lionel Messi’s eighth Ballon d’Or has been on display at the FC Barcelona museum for several days. However, he was no longer playing for Barça when he won it…
This is a little novelty for visitors to the FC Barcelona museum. In the space dedicated to Lionel Messi, we can see the 2023 Ballon d’Or, the one he received on October 30 during the Gala organized at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Why is this surprising? Because during the period which earned the Argentinian this award, he wore the colors of Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami. And yet it is Barça which proudly displays this trophy. Mundo Deportivo explains that it is “of a replica offered to the Museum and exhibited with the authorization of the principal interested party, his entourage and the presidency of the Barça club. »
A Ballon d’Or that has nothing to do with Barça
For the Catalan daily, even if “La Pulga” did not win this trophy with the Blaugrana, “as it is a space of the Museum dedicated exclusively to Leo Messi, its exhibition makes sense. » Or we can see it as a lack of respect for Paris Saint-Germain, who would have been just as legitimate, if not more, to receive a copy of this trophy.
However, it is difficult to dispute the fact that FC Barcelona is THE club with which Messi is immediately associated. The legendary No. 10 won the Blalons d’Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019 under the colors of Blaugrana. In 2021, for his seventh victory in the ballot, he spent the first six months of the year at Barcelona and the following at PSG.
