30 November 2021
PSG forward Lionel Messi has won the prestigious Ballon D'or award 2021 for a record 7th time in a ceremony held in Paris on Monday.
This awards elevates his contention as arguably the Greatest player of all time (GOAT). The former Barcelona forward has previously won this award on 6 occasions, in the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, with last award coming in the year 2019. While, awards were cancelled last year due to Covid-19 pandemic, a fantabulous run last season ensured he once again won this coveted prize this year.
The previous season, 34-year-old scored 38 goals in 48 games for Barcelona and won the Copa del Rey. He also captained his national team Argentina to Copa America title in July. That was the first major international title of his glittering career. After that he had to leave Barcelona, and since then, he has been playing for Paris Saint-Germain.
With this win, his award tally now boasts of 2 more awards than his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo -- between them they have won 12 of the last 13 editions with the exception coming in 2018 when Luka Modric claimed the prize.
Second and third positions were claimed by Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho respectively. Meanwhile, Ronaldo, came in sixth.
Other awards at the ceremony -
Striker of the year - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Goalkeeper of the Year - Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)
Team of the Year - Chelsea
The Ballon d'Or is awarded annually by France Football, with FIFA's The Best a separate honour handed out every year -- Messi won that award for the first time in 2020.