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#1 Only player to win a 'best player' award at every international tournament
Lionel Messi also holds the record of winning the 'best player' or the 'Golden Ball' award at every international tournament. Messi has already won the best player award three times in three different international competitions, including Under-20 World Cup, Olympics, FIFA World Cup and Copa America.
Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament in the World Youth Championship as he led Argentina to their fifth Championship and finished the tournament as the top goal scorer.
In 2008 Beijing Olympics, Messi inspired Argentina to clinch the gold medal. Messi assisted the only Di Maria goal in the final against Nigeria and was singled out along with Riquelme by FIFA as the stand-out performers of the tournament.
Messi added one of the most prestigious individual awards to his kitty after claiming the Golden Ball in 2014 Brazil World Cup. With four goals and one assist, Messi inspired Argentina to their first World Cup final since 1990. Although the Argentine wizard failed to cross the last hurdle, FIFA recognized Messi’s individual brilliance with the tournament’s best player award.
Messi was reportedly selected for the most valuable player of the tournament in Copa America 2015, but the Argentine rejected the honour as he once again failed to break Argentina’s trophy drought at the international level.
