Messi touches the sky! Seventh Ballon d'Or win

Lionel Messi received the 2021 Ballon d'Or prize at a ceremony that took place in Paris on Monday, after leading Argentina all the way to the Copa America trophy during the summer.

The 34-year-old forward finished top scorer of LaLiga Santander in 2020/21 and also won the Copa del Rey trophy with the Blaugrana before departing the club to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

Messi received his record seventh Ballon d'Or from his close friend and former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, who congratulated the Argentine on the stage.

Ballon d'Or 2021 voting

Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski finished second in the voting, with Jorginho finishing third and Karim Benzema being ranked in fourth position.

The Bayern Munich forward received the Striker of the Year award, while Barcelona midfielder Pedri was handed the Kopa Trophy and Chelsea were named Club of the Year.

Cristiano Ronaldo finished outside of the top three for the first time since 2010. The Manchester United forward has won five Ballon d'Or trophies, followed by Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten, who have received the award three times each.

Messi had previously won the accolade in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019. Last season, he scored 38 times and produced 14 assists in a total of 47 games at Barcelona, while he also netted 10 goals in 20 duels for Argentina.

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