Messi, joined Inter Miami in the last transfer window, he was key to last year’s victory of his country, Argentina at the 2022 FIFA world cup held in Qatar.
This latest Ballon d’Or award brings Messi’s tally to 8 with only Cristiano Ronaldo coming close with 5 Ballon d’Or awards.
The 2023 Ballon d’Or will be the 67th annual ceremony of the Ballon d’Or, presented by France Football magazine, recognising the best footballers in the world in the 2022–23 season.
For the second time in the history of the award, it will be given based on the results of the season instead of the calendar year, with the season starting on 1 August 2022 and ending 31 July 2023.
The nominees were announced on 6 September 2023.
Erling Haaland, Kelvin De Bruyne, Kylian Mbappe are other players nominated for the award.
Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen settled for 8th place to become the first Nigerian in the history of the awards to climb to the best 10 category.