One more to the collection.
As revealed by various Catalan journalists, Lionel Messi entrusted the replica of his 8th Ballon d'Or to FC Barcelona.
The Argentine striker (36 years old) however left Barça, his long-time team, in the summer of 2021 for Paris Saint-Germain, the club whose colors he wore during the season (2022-23) which counted for the Ballon d’Or in question.
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Messi, world champion for the first time with Argentina in December 2022, would have made this choice so that the trophy joins those of previous editions.
The first seven Ballon d'Or won by Messi were already in the Barça museum.
As evidenced by a video shared by the media
ESPN
, the eighth now appears behind glass in the museum.
“During these two years, I was not happy, I did not have fun, and that affected my family life
,” Messi said in June 2023 about his time at PSG, insisting on
“two difficult years »
.
“He's not a bad person but, and it's true for everyone, not just Messi, I prefer when people talk when they're there, not afterwards
,” retorted PSG president Nasser Al- Khelaïfi.
Messi has since joined Inter Miami in the United States.
SEE ALSO –
From 2009 to 2023, Lionel Messi’s eight Ballons d’Or