LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) Football superstar Lionel Messi is poised to secure his eighth Ballon d’Or this month, as the winners for the 2023 male and female awards have been leaked.
Messi, at 36, achieved remarkable success by leading Argentina to the World Cup victory in the 2022 tournament held in Qatar.
The former Barcelona star has long been the frontrunner for the top prize at the awards ceremony in Paris at the end of October.
Securing his eighth Ballon d’Or would extend Messi’s record as the most decorated recipient of the award and mark the 36-year-old’s return to the top, as it went to Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema in 2022.
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This triumph will make history as the first time the Ballon d’Or is awarded to a player outside of Europe and put Messi three trophies ahead of his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite facing fierce competition from Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, Messi is expected to come out on top due to his exceptional performance in Qatar.
According to reports from the Spanish outlet SPORT, the women’s Ballon d’Or award is likely to be won by Aitana Bonmati, who played a pivotal role in Spain’s stunning Women’s World Cup victory in Australia.
As the Player of the Tournament in the World Cup and the recipient of the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award, the Barcelona midfielder is set to continue her team’s legacy as she becomes the second consecutive Barcelona star to win the Ballon d’Or, following in the footsteps of her teammate and compatriot Alexia Putellas, who received the award last year.