Lionel Messi won his record eighth Ballon d’Or and dedicated it to Argentina and Napoli legend Diego Armando Maradona on what would’ve been his birthday.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star pipped Erling Braut Haaland and Kylian Mbappé to the trophy in Paris this evening.
It was largely thanks to his exploits for Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, bringing the trophy home for the first time since Maradona’s team in 1986.
Today would’ve been Maradona’s 63rd birthday and it seemed fitting for Messi to dedicate the Ballon d’Or to his mentor.
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Maradona passed away at the age of 60 in November 2020.
There were two Napoli players in the Ballon d’Or top 20 this year, as Kvicha Kvaratskhelia took 17th place and Victor Osimhen was awarded eighth position.
