SUMMARY
- Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023, many believed it might be his last.
- According to bookmakers, Lionel Messi is a favorite for the 2024 Ballon d'Or.
Lionel Messi won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award for the eighth time in his career earlier in 2023. Many fans and experts believed that this would be the last time the Argentine icon would make it to the podium of this prestigious award. However, as per the latest developments, the Inter Miami superstar is not finished.
The soccer community was lit up when news started spreading around that, as per bookmakers, Lionel Messi is among the favorites to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or award. Football Factly was one of the accounts that shared the news. As per the graphic shared by them on their ‘X’ account, Messi is the fifth favorite to retain the prestigious award.
Favorites to win the 2024 Ballon D’or pic.twitter.com/5tALdjc5Lx
— Football Factly (@FootballFactly) December 30, 2023
Jude Bellingham currently leads the odds, followed by Kylian Mbappé at second, Erling Haaland at third, and Bundesliga’s newest superstar, Harry Kane at fourth place. Messi is in fifth place with 8/1 odds which raised eyebrows of many fans.
How is messi here and Ronaldo isnt?
— Martin (@boggi3man) December 30, 2023
The general argument revolved around the fact that Messi should be way down the pecking order after moving to Inter Miami in the summer. The Ballon d’Or is awarded to the best player in the world in a given season. European soccer is far superior as compared to offerings from other continents like MLS and Saudi Pro League, which works against players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi being in fifth place was enough to bring out some criticism. Comments like “r these guys really on Messi side or r they just want to troll him”? “How is Messi here and Ronaldo isn’t”? and “Messi barely plays,” echoed the sentiments of the fans.
IFFHS ranks Lionel Messi as third-best player of 2023
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) recently its annual rankings of the top 10 players in the world. Much to the surprise of everyone, Lionel Messi made it to the top three in the rankings. The Argentine legend finished behind Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe. The Manchester City striker took the top spot in the rankings, while Ronaldo didn’t even make the list.
View this post on Instagram
The list made headlines when Ronaldo reacted to the list on Instagram when it was reshared by the Portuguese publication A Bola. The Portuguese forward commented with several laughing emojis to show his discontent with the rankings.
Ronaldo returned to form in 2023 in an incredible fashion with Al-Nassr. The Portuguese forwards scored more than 50 goals for the club and country in 2023 which is why several fans and experts have been pushing Ronaldo’s name in these year-end lists.
2024 is around the corner, but Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi still dominate the news cycle and the conversation surrounding these year-end lists. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are still waiting on the wings to get the undivided attention of fans and experts of the soccer world.
