Messi wins the Ballon d’Or for the seventh time, while Putellas is crowned Women’s Player of the Year.

 

Paris — Lionel Messi admitted that winning the Copa América with Argentina may have been the decisive factor in his seventh Ballon d’Or, following a tumultuous year, while Spain’s Alexia Putellas claimed the women’s award.

 

The 34-year-old Messi edged out high-profile rivals such as Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema at a glittering awards ceremony in Paris on Monday. Since leaving his boyhood club Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in August, he has now made the French capital his home.

 

Despite bidding farewell to Barcelona in tears and a relatively unremarkable start to his career in France, a global panel of journalists bestowed upon him a special honor for leading Argentina to its first major international title since 1993.

 

“Two years ago, I thought I was heading into my final few years, but here I am again,” Messi said. He won his last Ballon d’Or in 2019, but last year’s award was canceled due to the pandemic.

 

Messi also won the championship in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015.

 

“People have started asking me when I’ll retire, but right now I’m in Paris, and I’m very happy,” he said at the Châtelet Theatre in central Paris, where his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, and their three children were also present.

 

“I don’t know how many years I have left, but I hope there are still plenty, because I’m really enjoying myself this year.”

 

“The achievements I’ve attained in Argentina have made my dreams come true. I believe I’ve won this trophy thanks to what we accomplished at the Copa América, so I dedicate it to my teammates.”

 

Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 in the final in Rio de Janeiro, with Messi claiming his first major international title for his country. In his final season with Barcelona, he also netted 38 goals in 48 matches and lifted the Copa del Rey.

 

However, since joining the French club, Messi has made just 11 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain and scored four goals, and there’s a sense that this year could see a different winner.

 

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski could have taken the field in 2020, when he scored 45 goals in 37 matches for Bayern, but the award was canceled.

 

Last season, he finished with 41 Bundesliga goals, but had to settle for second place in the Ballon d’Or voting, which was organized by France Football and determined by a panel of journalists from around the world.

 

Lewandowski, on the other hand, was awarded the consolation prize for top scorer of the year and received high praise from Messi.

 

“I’d like to tell Robert that it’s an honor to compete against him. Last year, he deserved to win,” Messi said.

 

Midfielder Jorginho won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea and lifted the Euro 2020 trophy with Italy, finishing third in the rankings, followed by Real Madrid’s Benzema and another Chelsea player, N’Golo Kanté.

 

Five-time champion Cristiano Ronaldo finished sixth. He was absent from the ceremony.

 

Between them, Messi and Ronaldo have won 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Or awards, with the sole exception being 2018, when Luka Modrić took the prize.

 

This marks only the third year that a woman has won the Ballon d’Or, with Putellas following in the footsteps of Norway’s Ada Hegerberg, the 2018 winner, and the United States’ 2019 World Cup star Megan Rapinoe.

 

The 27-year-old Spanish international Putellas led Barcelona to victory in this year’s UEFA Women’s Champions League, scoring a penalty in the final as her team defeated Chelsea 4–0.

 

She also clinched the Spanish league-and-cup double with Barcelona, the club she joined as a teenager in 2012 and where she quickly established herself as a dominant force in women’s football.

 

Her Barcelona and Spain teammate Jennifer Hermoso finished second, while Chelsea’s Australian Sam Kerr came in third.

 

“I’m confident I won’t be the last Barcelona player to win this award. This is just the beginning,” said Putellas, who was named UEFA Women’s Player of the Year in August.

 

From ChinaDaily