OneFootball
Richard Buxton·26 March 2023
OneFootball
Richard Buxton·26 March 2023
Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or for 2023.
The Argentina captain secured the accolade for a record eighth time after finishing ahead of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé
Messi led his country to a first World Cup win since 1986 in Qatar last year in addition to claiming club honours with Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.
Meanwhile, the Ballon d’Or Féminin went to Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí for a stellar year for club and country, winning the Women’s World Cup, Champions League and Liga F.
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player under 21 while Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez took the Yashin Trophy.
Elsewhere, Erling Haaland won the Gerd Müller Award for the best striker of the year and Vinícius Jr received the Sócrates Prize for educational work in his native Brazil as well as leading the fight against racism in Spanish football.
Manchester City retained the Club of the Year award following their incredible treble success which saw seven of their current players nominated.
For the women’s game, Barcelona took the same accolade after winning a second Women’s Champions League in three seasons.