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Lionel Messi claims Ballon d’Or is no longer important to me.
Lionel Messi asserts that having already won seven Ballons d’Or, obtaining further Golden Balls is no longer vital to him.
Over the course of a truly incredible career, the Argentine legend has dominated the world stage with his enduring opponent Cristiano Ronaldo.
His astounding degree of consistency allowed him to be declared the top player on the planet a record-breaking seven times, rewriting history on a regular basis.
Messi is thought to be in the lead when it comes to the 2023 Ballon d’Or race thanks to his success at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar, where he finally added international accolades to his trophy cabinet.
Messi would, however, be happy to let somebody else collect that prestigious prize, telling Titan Sports in China when asked if such accolades are still a top priority: “Does the Ballon d’Or matter to me? No, it’s no longer important to me. I’ve always said, the individual prizes are not what matters to me, but the collective ones are the most important. The most important prize at the moment is the World Cup, the greatest prize for me.”
Messi’s place among the greatest players of all time has been established for some time, but many believe that Argentina’s victory in the Middle East, which he inspired before going on to win another World Cup Golden Ball, has solidified his position at the top of that list.
Messi concedes that it is unlikely that he will play in the 2026 World Cup, therefore it is unclear how many more years he has left at the top of the game. In 2023, he will embark on a new club experience as he gets ready to join MLS team Inter Miami.