How many Ballon d’Ors has Messi won?

How many Ballon d’Ors has Messi won, as his name is conspicuous in the 30-man list released recently for the awards?

It’s like the Argentine maestro Lionel Messi has been around forever. Every year, when the award comes around, there is always talk about Messi.

I know some people are tired of the Argentine and can’t wait to see him quit the sport, but while he is still around, we might just as well enjoy his magic.

The Ballon d’Or organisers have released a 30-man list, and questions and debates have started over who will win this year’s award.

It is hard to ignore the former Barcelona star, and we will address the issue of how many of these awards he has won.

How many Ballon d'Ors has Messi won

When there was hype around Ronaldinho, with plenty of talk of how good he is, the Brazilian kept pointing at Lionel Messi as a better player than he was.

Everything Ronaldinho said about the Argentine has come to pass. He has won almost every title he has contested for and scored plenty of goals.

Even as Lionel Messi advances in age, he remains relentless and keen on rewriting more records.

So, how many Ballon d'Ors has Messi won?

Lionel Messi won his first title in 2009. Since then, it has been a straight fight between him and the Portuguese star – Cristiano Ronaldo.

The award has gone back and forth between the two players, but Messi has won it seven times. It represents more wins than any other player in history.

After his 2009 award, he won the Golden Ball three more times in a row (2010, 2011, 2012). He became the first man to win it in four straight years.

After winning it in 2012, he had to wait three years before winning the award again. He also won it in 2019 and 2021.

Will Messi win it again?

Are you still asking how many Ballon d’Ors has Messi won? Let us put a figure to it.

The Argentine has won it seven times and is in line for an eighth win.

After an entertaining FIFA World Cup in Qatar that Argentina won, it is hard to shove the little big man aside. The only man to beat him in the goal-scoring business was Kylian Mbappe.

Despite having a fantastic performance at the World Cup, Lionel Messi has competition from Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.

Mbappe finished top of the goal charts in Qatar and was vital to PSG winning Ligue 1. Lionel Messi was part of that PSG team but had a placid club season.

If Mbappe is not stiff competition for Messi, Erling Haaland poses more danger.

Erling Haaland 🆚 Lionel Messi

Who 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 to win the Ballon d'Or?! 🏆⤵️ pic.twitter.com/65McYlczXB

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 7, 2023

The Norwegian led Manchester City to win a treble, where he shattered many records in the English Premier League.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker won the top scorer award in the Premier League (36) and the UEFA Champions League (12).

The awards will likely come down to Haaland vs Messi. The Norwegian just won the European Best Player award.

Most Ballon d'Or winners