Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina has won the Ballon d’Or, which is awarded to the best footballer of the year, for the record seventh time.
Messi, 34, helped Argentina win the Copa America for the first time, and he has 40 goals in 2021, including 28 for Barcelona, four for PSG, and eight for Argentina.
Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich and Poland came in second, Jorginho of Chelsea and Italy came in third, and Karim Benzema of Real Madrid came in fourth.
The Ballon d’Or is voted for by 180 journalists from across the world, yet due to the coronavirus epidemic, there was no award in 2020.
From 2008 until 2019, the award was won by either Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo (five wins), except for 2018, when it was won by Croatia midfielder Luka Modric.
Messi has already won the award more times than any other player, with victories in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and now 2019.
Lewandowski received the ‘Striker of the Year’ award, a new title revealed just hours before the presentation. He scored 53 goals in all competitions for Bayern in 2021.
Gianluigi Donnarumma of Paris St-Germain received the Yashin Trophy for an outstanding goalkeeper, while Chelsea was named Club of the Year after winning the Champions League.
Ada Peter
