Argentinian star Lionel Messi, player of Paris Saint-Germain, was awarded the Ballon d'Or for the seventh time in his career at a ceremony held this evening in the French capital, Paris. The 34-year-old Messi won the 65th edition of the Ballon d'Or, awarded by French magazine France Football, surpassing Polish striker Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, who came in second. Italian player Jorginho was third, French player Karim Benzema was fourth, and his compatriot N'Golo Kanté, from Chelsea, was in fifth place.
Messi succeeded in tipping the scales in the final race for the award, thanks to his national team's victory in the Copa América this summer, which was their first title in 16 years. Messi, who won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona last season before joining Paris Saint-Germain this summer, said, "It's incredible to be here again. Two years ago, I thought these were my last years, and today here I am again."
He added, "I started to wonder when I would retire, and now I am here in Paris, very happy. I really want to keep fighting and achieving new goals, scoring new goals. I don’t know how many years I have left, but I hope there are many because I am having a lot of fun this year."
**Top Five in the Ballon d'Or:**
Egyptian pharaoh Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s star, ranked seventh, behind Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who came in sixth. Algerian Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City ranked twentieth. Ronaldo was absent from the ceremony, presented by former Chelsea and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba, along with journalist Sandy Huerre, and expressed his discontent on Instagram, writing, "I always send my congratulations to those who win."
**Awards of the Ceremony:**
Chelsea, which won the UEFA Champions League in the 2020-2021 season, received the award for Best Club in the World. Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Yashin Award for Best Goalkeeper, having significantly contributed to Italy's victory in the UEFA Euro 2020. Spanish player Alexia Putellas from Barcelona won the women’s Ballon d'Or. Robert Lewandowski received the award for Best Forward, finishing as the top scorer in the Bundesliga last season with 41 goals and currently leading the scoring list this season with 14 goals. Young Spanish player Pedri from Barcelona capped his season with the Kopa Trophy for Best Young Player of 2021.
