Zuko Komisa

‘The GOAT’ – Lionel Messi officially wins the 8th Ballon D’Or award,
The official announcement of Lionel Messi as the 2023 Ballon d’Or winner has taken place after he defeated Erling Haaland, his closest rival.
Due to his leadership of Argentina to the FIFA World Cup victory in Qatar in 2022 and his part in Paris Saint-Germain’s consecutive Ligue 1 titles, the Argentine was heavily favored to win.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
Only player to receive standing ovation twice in Ballon d'or ceremony 🔥💯#Messi𓃵 #BallonDorpic.twitter.com/qdihIVXYdN
— Sports Matrix 360° 𝕏 (@sportsmatrix360) October 31, 2023
Erling Haaland of Manchester City, who finished second and took home the Gerd Muller trophy—given to the finest striker of the year—was Messi’s closest rival.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time winner of the trophy, is the only player who can compete with Messi and this year’s prize nominees did not include the Portuguese player.
Speaking at the award ceremony Messi expressed gratitude for a stellar career and “I couldn’t imagine having the career I’ve had and everything I’ve achieved, the fortune I’ve had to be part of the best team in history”.
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Full Ballon d’Or men’s ranking 1-20
1: Lionel Messi (PSG, Inter Miami & Argentina)
2: Erling Haaland (Man City & Norway)
3: Kylian Mbappe (PSG & France)
4: Kevin De Bruyne (Man City & Belgium)
5: Rodri (Man City & Spain)
6: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid & Brazil)
7: Julian Alvarez (Man City & Argentina)
8: Victor Osimhen (Napoli & Nigeria)
9: Bernardo Silva (Man City & Portugal)
10: Luka Modric (Real Madrid & Croatia)
11: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt)
12: Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona & Poland)
13: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla, Al Hilal & Morocco)
14: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City, Barcelona & Germany)
15: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa & Argentina)
16: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, Al Ittihad & France)
17: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli & Georgia)
18: Jude Bellingham (Dortmund, Real Madrid & England)
19: Harry Kane (Spurs, Bayern Munich & England)
20: Lautaro Martinez (Inter & Argentina)
Rema performs at the ceremony
Nigerian afrobeat star, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has made history as the first African artiste to perform at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
CALM DOWN!@heisrema takes on the stage of the Ballon d’Or! 🎵#ballondor pic.twitter.com/EPidcd8ZMQ
— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@ballondor) October 30, 2023
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