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Lionel Messi, his wife Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three sons have all arrived for the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony in Paris.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner is expected to win the France Football award for a record eighth time. The 36-year-old was joined by Roccuzzo, Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro as the family walked the red carpet.
Lionel Messi and his family posed for photos ahead of the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony. He wore a Black tuxedo while Roccuzzo donned a lavish black dress.
You can watch the Messi family arrive at the ceremony in Paris below:
Lionel Messi's name was chanted by fans at the event as he looks set to return to the throne of world football. He last won the Ballon d'Or in 2021 but failed to make the awards list last year.
The Inter Miami superstar be the first active MLS player to win the award should he prevail. He lit up the World Cup with mesmerizing performances, bagging seven goals and three assists in seven games.
Messi's World Cup heroics are why many insist he deserves to be at the top of the podium tonight. His family were by his side throughout his career-defining World Cup campaign and they are present for his likely eighth Ballon d'Or triumph.
Lionel Messi downplayed the significance of winning the Ballon d'Or
Messi may be set to clinch the award for the eighth time but he insisted earlier this year that he's now more interested in winning team awards. He said:
"Does Ballon d’Or matter to me? No, at this stage in my life, it is 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 to me. The most important prize at the moment is the World Cup. This is the greatest prize for me."
The Argentina captain failed to win the World Cup on four occasions before last year's heroics. He did so by also winning the Golden Ball and becoming the first player in history to win five Player of the Match awards.
