“It’s your time”.
French soccer magazine France Football held its 2023 Ballon d’Or award ceremony on Jan. 31 (KST).
David Beckham, who has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the past, was the presenter and announced the winner of the honor.
The winner was Messi.
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award a soccer player can receive.
It began in 1956 and is awarded to the best player of the year. Starting in 2022, the award will be based on a season”s performance, with individual achievements being the most important criterion.
The best soccer player in the world for the 2022-2023 season was Messi, who won the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in his career (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021), moving him one step closer to the all-time leader, Cristiano Ronaldo (five).
Elling Holland (Manchester City), who completed the treble last year, was one of the favorites, but he was unable to break through Messi’s barrier.
This is the first time a player from a non-European team has won the award.
Until now, the Ballon d’Or has always been awarded to a player who plays in a European league.
However, Messi’s win broke history. He left PSG last summer to join Inter Miami in the American Major League Soccer (MLS).
Messi had a near-perfect year for PSG last season, scoring 21 goals and 20 assists in all competitions and leading the league with 16 goals and 16 assists.
PSG also finished at the top of the league and the Trophée des Champions.
Most importantly, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar proved crucial.
Messi played full-time in all seven World Cup matches, scoring seven goals and providing three assists.
He scored in the all-important final to give his country Argentina its first World Cup trophy in 36 years, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s MVP.
It was the first time Argentina had won the World Cup since 1986 under Maradona.
After immortalizing his record of eight Ballon d’Ors, Messi said, “I want to thank everyone, especially my teammates. 카지노사이트가이드
Thank you to everyone who voted for me.
I want to share this award with my teammates, it’s a gift for the whole team and the Argentine people.”
“This Ballon d’Or will most likely be my last,” Messi said.
In fact, Messi will be playing in the US Major League Soccer (MLS) starting this season, so his chances of winning the award next season are virtually nil.
After beating out a stellar field in his final bid, Messi was full of praise for the younger players coming up behind him, particularly Elling Holland and Kylian Mbappe.
In fact, Holland and Mbappe were Messi’s strongest competitors.
Not just in the standings, but in competitions as well, with Mbappe scoring a hat trick in the World Cup Final to give Messi a run for his money.
