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SUPER SEVEN Lionel Messi has been scooping up Ballon d’Or trophies at a prolific pace through the years, squashing debates about who the best player on the planet happens to be. The most prestigious individual award in the sport—translated as ‘the Golden Ball’—is annually presented by the France Football Magazine to the best male player on the planet. Messi picked up his record seventh award in 2021 at a ceremony in Paris, not far from where he dazzles and delights fans playing for Paris Saint-Germain in France’s top-flight Ligue 1. Messi’s seventh award pushed him two ahead of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo on the all-time list. He beat out a star-studded list of global greats—including Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, who finished second in the voting, and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, who was third—to add the coveted award to those he previously won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019.

Lionel Messi won his record seventh Ballon d’Or trophy in 2021 in recognition of being the best player on the planet.

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World Class Footballers: Lionel Messi