"The father of football", "There is only one GOAT" - Twitter explodes as Lionel Messi wins historic eighth Ballon d'Or
Lionel Messi has been crowned the 2023 Ballon d'Or winner, winning the award for a record eighth time. Fans were elated to see the iconic Argentine reach the pinnacle of football once again.
Messi, 36, won the France Football award following a memorable past year. The iconic forward captained Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in Qatar, for many, cementing his legacy as the greatest player to grace the game.
Lionel Messi won his first World Cup, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in seven games. He became the first player in the tournament's history to win five Man of the Match awards and also won the Golden Ball award.
The Inter Miami superstar becomes the first player in history to win the Ballon d'Or as an active MLS player. Messi moved to David Beckham's co-owned Herons in the summer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain following the expiration of his contract. He was handed the award by Beckham who wore a proud smile.
The 2022 World Cup winner also put in scintillating performances for PSG over the past year. He bagged 21 goals and 20 assists in 45 games across competitions, winning the Ligue 1 title for the second consecutive season.
Lionel Messi beat Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland to the award. The 23-year-old Norwegian star enjoyed an excellent past year, bagging 52 goals and nine assists in 53 games across competitions. He finished top scorer in the Premier League (36 goals in 35 games) and UEFA Champions League (12 in 11) as City won the continental treble.
One fan hailed Messi as:
"Messi is really the father of football."
Another fan insisted that the Barcelona icon is the undisputed greatest player in history:
"There is only one GOAT and it's Lionel Messi."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted as Messi won his record eighth Ballon d'Or:
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni backed Lionel Messi to win his eighth Ballon d'Or
Argentina's World Cup-winning coach Lionel Scaloni believed Lionel Messi deserved to win the Ballon d'Or when speaking back in May. He said (via Argentine outlet TyC Sports):
"I would definitely give it to Messi."
Those comments came after Messi had spearheaded La Abiceleste's World Cup triumph. Scaloni also dubbed his captain as the greatest player of all time (via FIFA's official website):
"Whether Messi is the greatest player of all time… sometimes as Argentinians it of course looks like we say that just because we are Argentinian. Maybe it's selfish. I don't have any doubt saying that: he is the best in history."
Lionel Messi previously won the Ballon d'Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021. He wasn't even nominated for the award last year, but is the record-holder, now three ahead of his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.