Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or for the seventh time in his career.
Touchaheart Nigeria reports that on Monday night, he was named the winner of the men’s award at a prestigious awards ceremony in Paris, France.
For the men’s honor, the Argentine beat out Robert Lewandowski and other players on a 30-player shortlist.
The 30-strong shortlist for the men’s prize included 14 Premier League players, including four who helped Chelsea win the Champions League in May — Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Romelu Lukaku, who helped Inter Milan win their first Serie A title in 11 years before joining Stamford Bridge in the summer, is also in the running.
Mount, Phil Foden, Harry Kane, and Raheem Sterling were among the contenders after guiding England to their first major final in 55 years at the Euros this summer.
Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Riyad Mahrez, Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes, and Cristiano Ronaldo are the other English nominees, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s five Ballon d’Ors second only to Lionel Messi in the award’s history.
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won 11 of the past 12 Ballon d’Or awards, with the exception of 2018, when Luka Modric led Real Madrid to another Champions League title and Croatia to the World Cup final.
While Messi’s time at PSG has been hit and miss, the Argentine scored 30 league goals and won the Copa del Rey in his final season with Barcelona. Argentina won the Copa America in July, ending a 28-year wait for the title after defeating Brazil at the Maracana.
The last time Ronaldo won the award was in 2017. Despite scoring in all five European games during his second stay at Manchester United, the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League appears to be an outsider for a sixth Ballon d’Or.
