"Now get ready for the ninth" - Luis Suarez makes hilarious claim as Lionel Messi wins his 8th Ballon d'Or

Luis Suarez sent a special message to former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi after the latter won his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or in Paris on 30 October.

Messi finished above Erling Haaland and ex-Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammate Kylian Mbappe in the standings. Commemorating the occasion, the 36-year-old uploaded a photo on his Instagram account holding the award. He captioned it:

"I only have words of gratitude for all the people around the world who supported me so much during my career and to whom I want to specially dedicate this award, along with my family who was always by my side.

"This is a Ballon d'Or that I also want to share with my fellow @afaseleccion, technical body, the employees... Because without the World Cup we achieved together it would have been impossible to win it. Congratulations to all the winners and many thanks!"

Suarez, who played 258 games and recorded 99 joint goal participations with Lionel Messi at Barcelona, said:

"What a big fatty! 👏🏼 Now get ready for the ninth 😂 Enjoy a lot, you deserve it ❤️"

Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, netting seven goals and providing three assists in seven games in Qatar. He also finished the 2022-23 season with 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 games for PSG, winning the Ligue 1.

The Argentine superstar joined Inter Miami this summer and has since scored 11 goals and laid out five assists in 14 games for his new club. Suarez, meanwhile, is currently playing for Gremio, where his contract expires at the end of the year.

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When did Lionel Messi win his first Ballon d'Or award?

Lionel Messi has won eight Ballon d'Or trophies since winning it for the first time in 2009.

The then-Barcelona superstar first finished on the podium in 2007, when AC Milan's Kaka won the award. He went one better the next year, securing a second-placed finish behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi won the award for the first time in 2009, beating Ronaldo and Xavi Hernandez in the process. He then won the next three awards on offer to take his tally to four before Ronaldo ended his run in 2013.

Messi then won the award four more times (2015, 2019, 2021, 2023). Given he now plays outside Europe in an arguably inferior league, it could be difficult for him to add a ninth Ballon d'Or to his trophy cabinet.

The Inter Miami superstar is, however, going strong on the international stage with Argentina, for whom he has eight goals in six games in 2023.