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Lionel Messi's fans have backed him to win the Ballon d'Or this year after he was named the best foreign player of Ligue 1 this season. The Argentine has the World Cup and the league title in the bag and is considered one of the front-runners for the award this year.
With the recent changes in Ballon d'Or rules, Messi's move to Inter Miami will not affect his chances of winning the award. The new guidelines see the players judged based on their season and not calendar year as they used to in previous years.
Soon after Ligue 1 announced Messi as the winner of 'Ligue 1's Best Foreign Player of the Season,' his fans took to social media to make Ballon d'Or claims. Some even said that he deserved to be named Ligue 1's Player of the Season.
Here are some of the best tweets:
Lionel Messi 'not interested' in Ballon d'Or anymore
Lionel Messi has stated that he is no longer interested in winning the Ballon d'Or in his career. He noted that winning the FIFA World Cup was his ultimate goal.
He was talking to Titan Sports when he claimed that individual awards were never his goal. He said:
"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."
After winning the Copa America with Argentina, Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2021. He revealed that it was one of the best years in his career, mainly because of his achievement with the national team. He told beIN Sport:
"It's a wonderful thing, it's a beautiful recognition for what that award means because the last Ballon d'Or I won came from having achieved objectives with the Argentina national team. It was very important for me and the whole squad. It is a beautiful memory that will stay with me, stay with me forever."
Lionel Messi is battling Kylian Mbappe this year for the Ballon d'Or after the Frenchman's stunning display at the FIFA World Cup. Erling Haaland is also in the race after winning the treble with Manchester City.
