Lionel Messi beat Erling Haaland to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or on October 30 in Paris. With that, Messi now has eight Ballons d’Or to his name, the most in history and three more than his closest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. With 14 years separating Messi’s first Ballon d’Or triumph from what, in all likelihood, should be his last, My Kolkata looks back at each of the occasions when Messi was crowned the best in the world. In decreasing order of deservedness
All images: Getty Images
Sealing a hat-trick in style (2011): Messi became the first man since Michel Platini (1983-85) to claim three consecutive Ballons d’Or after bagging a double of La Liga and the UEFA Champions League (UCL) with Barcelona. As the jewel in the crown of arguably the greatest club team of all time, Messi was unstoppable, scoring 57 goals and providing 29 assists, including a piledriver of a strike in the UCL final against Manchester United at Wembley. Even though Messi met more disappointment with Argentina at the Copa America on home soil, his Barcelona heroics were enough to give him almost 48 per cent of the votes, well ahead of Ronaldo and Xavi Hernandez
Stopping Ronaldo’s hat-trick as the leader of MSN (2015): After back-to-back gongs in 2013 and 2014, Ronaldo began the 2014-15 campaign with the hottest scoring streak of his career. Messi responded by overcoming a slow start to spearhead Barcelona to their second European treble, netting 62 goals to go with his 31 assists. Alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez, collectively called MSN, Messi produced his most complete footballing season till date. More heartbreak with Argentina followed as Messi and Co. lost the Copa America final on penalties to Chile. But Messi had already done enough to merit 41 per cent of the votes, finishing clear of Ronaldo and Neymar
An unprecedented goalfest for a record fourth (2012): Messi found the net a total of 91 times for club and country in 2012. That alone was sufficient to hand him a fourth Ballon d’Or on the trot, something that no footballer had achieved before. While Ronaldo won La Liga and Andres Iniesta inspired Spain to retain the European Championship, it was Messi’s mind-boggling goalscoring that carried the day, leading the jury to hand him 41 per cent of the votes to go with a standing ovation during the ceremony. Messi lapped it all up in a polka-dotted suit that was only a little less ludicrous than his stats
The one that got all the Golden Balls rolling (2009): At 22 years, five months and seven days, Messi was the third-youngest player to be crowned as the world’s greatest (behind Ronaldo Nazario and Michael Owen) when he clinched his first Golden Ball in 2009. With 473 points, Messi had more than Ronaldo and Xavi (second and third, respectively) combined. It was a just reward for the Argentine’s protagonism during 2009 that saw Barcelona become the first club to win six major trophies in a calendar year. With 41 goals and 15 assists, Messi finally had the numbers to do justice to his other-wordly talent
The World Cup and the inevitable eighth (2022): While the voting period for the Ballon d’Or was officially till the end of July 2023, the race for the gong was as good as over on December 18 last year, the day Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar after 36 years. As the best player and second-highest goalscorer in the tournament, Messi seemed possessed, if not destined, to secure the only major honour that had eluded him. While his club form with Paris Saint-Germain was indifferent and his rollicking start with Inter Miami only counted partially, Messi’s 38 goals and 25 assists fetched him more votes than Haaland and Kylian Mbappe
Breaking the tie with Ronaldo with the narrowest of wins (2019): Only seven points separated Messi and Virgil van Dijk in the closest Ballon d’Or race of the modern era. Seven points that gave Messi his sixth Ballon d’Or, one more than Ronaldo’s five at the time. Ronaldo had come back from being 1-4 down at the start of 2013 to equalise Messi’s Ballon d’Or tally four years later, only for the Flea to edge ahead once more. Another forgettable Copa America contributed little towards doing so, with Messi’s 54 goals and 20 assists for Barcelona proving instrumental once more
Best at Barcelona, best in the world (2010): Wesley Sneijder must have thought that winning a European treble with Inter Milan and reaching the World Cup final with the Netherlands would have made him the favourite for the Ballon d’Or. Instead, the Dutch playmaker was not even on the podium, which was a clean sweep for Barcelona. As World Cup winners, Iniesta and Xavi were tipped to be the top two, but it was Messi’s club dominance that gave him close to 23 per cent of the votes. A total of 60 goals and 17 assists may not have made Messi a world champion, but it made him the first winner of the Ballon d’Or in successive years this century, with then Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola fittingly handing over the trophy
Leaving Lewandowski in the lurch (2021): Unlike 2010 and 2012, Messi did not score the most number of goals in the 2020/21 season. That milestone was Robert Lewandowski’s. Unlike 2009 and 2015, Messi did not win a treble with Barcelona either. That achievement was also Lewandowski’s from 2020, the year the Ballon d’Or was not awarded due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Even if Lewandowski’s 2020 treble was not technically under consideration, few would have grudged the Polish striker being recognised for his incredible performances over two seasons with his first Ballon d’Or. However, a talismanic display at the 2021 Copa America, which also gave Messi his first senior title with Argentina, undermined Lewandowski’s case and strengthened Messi’s. Although the majority of Messi’s 44 goals and 17 assists from 2020/21 were for Barcelona, it was his output with Argentina that made the difference, bringing him 33 votes more than Lewandowski and subsequent seventh heaven!
