Lionel Messi beats Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to claim eighth Golden Ball

The Ballon d'Or. Love it or loathe it, it's the award every footballer in the world dreams of one day winning. And now, after a memorable and unique 2022-23 campaign, the winner of the 2023 Golden Ball has been announced: Lionel Messi.

The Argentina and Inter Miami forward picked up his eighth Ballon d'Or after a 2022-23 season that saw him finally get his hands on the trophy : The World Cup

Messi won the Golden Ball at Qatar 2022 as the tournament's best player, and having also helped Paris Saint-Germain win another Ligue 1 title over the course of the campaign.

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Messi was able to beat out competition from the likes of Erling Haaland and former team-mate Kylian Mbappe for the award. His electric start to life in Miami has proved that there's still some life in those legs, too. Ballon d'Or No.8, accomplished.