Lionel Messi has surpassed four countries in the number of Ballon d'Or awards

On Monday, October 30, the Ballon d'Or was awarded. Lionel Messi won his eighth award.

In doing so, as a representative of Argentina, he surpassed four countries, the players of which had won seven such awards each - Germany, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Following them are Italy, England, and Brazil, each with five awards.

• Argentina (Leo Messi) - 8
• Germany (5 players) - 7
• France (5 players) - 7
• Portugal (3 players) - 7
• Netherlands (3 players) - 7
• Italy (5 players) - 5
• England (4 players) - 5
• Brazil (3 players) - 5

Leo won the World Cup for Argentina in Qatar, scoring seven goals as the team's captain and receiving the tournament's MVP award. He also won the French league with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), scoring 16 goals and providing 16 assists.

The 36-year-old Argentine surpassed Erling Haaland, who achieved a treble with Manchester City, and Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final for France.

With this victory, Lionel Messi broke the record for the most Ballon d'Or awards. He had previously won the title of the best player in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021. Currently, Lionel plays for Inter Miami, where he transferred during the summer as a free agent from PSG.