Lionel Messi yet to win unique award already won by Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah and Ronaldinho

Lionel Messi may be on the cusp of an eighth Ballon d'Or, but he is still missing one award in his trophy cabinet, which Cristiano Ronaldo and a few others have won: the Golden Foot.

Fresh off a World Cup triumph with Argentina, the 36-year-old has continued to decorate his career with individual accolades. His recent switch from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami could see him bag the Ballon d'Or while playing outside Europe. Yet, as revealed by SPORTbible, the Golden Foot award has eluded him so far.

The Golden Foot has been won by a number of football's elite, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Mohamed Salah, Luka Modric, and Robert Lewandowski. However, Messi's name has remained a glaring omission. Last year, it was Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski who won the award. He graciously acknowledged its magnitude, saying (via SPORTtbible):

“I’m very happy, I’m very proud. For me, it’s a huge honour to win this award because I know how hard I’ve had to work for this and now I can be proud of myself. If you see the list of the names, the winners of this trophy, it makes me even more proud.”

The award has also swung in Cristiano Ronaldo's favor before. The Portugal legend clinched it back in 2020, beating Messi and Lewandowski in a ceremonial gathering in Turin when he was still with Juventus.

As Lionel Messi sets his sights on this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris, he could be set to snag the Golden Foot as well. However, time will tell if the Argentine magician can secure both awards.

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Lionel Messi's dribbling mastery leaves Cristiano Ronaldo and others in the dust

Opta's latest statistics paint Lionel Messi not just as a scorer or a playmaker, but as the king of dribbles in Europe's top five leagues since the 2006-07 season. With a jaw-dropping 821 goals and 361 assists in 1,044 career appearances, the Argentine virtuoso is more well-known for his presence in front of the goal.

However, his dribbling skills are quite impressive, especially as the new data revealed that Messi has completed a staggering 2,358 dribbles since August 2006. According to Opta (via Daily Mail), this has left Chelsea legend Eden Hazard trailing in the dust by a margin of 1,073 dribbles.

Hazard, who hung up his boots earlier this month, carved out an impressive 1,285 dribbles. As for Cristiano Ronaldo, the Al-Nassr forward could only reach sixth place on the list with a tally of 937 dribbles.

Other players above Ronaldo include Franck Ribery, Neymar, and Wilfried Zaha.