Messi: Ballon d'Or no longer important to me

Lionel Messi claims that, with seven Ballons d’Or to his name, winning more Golden Balls is no longer important to him.

The Argentine icon has, alongside eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo, dominated the global scene over the course of a quite remarkable career. The history books have been rewritten on a regular basis, with a stunning level of consistency allowing him to be named the best player on the planet a record-breaking seven times.

 Success at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar, as he finally added global honours to his trophy collection, is considered to have Messi out in front when it comes to the 2023 Ballon d’Or race.

Messi would, however, be happy to let somebody else collect that prestigious prize, telling Titan Sports in China when asked if such accolades are still a top priority: “Does the Ballon d'Or matter to me? No, it's 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. The most important prize at the moment is the World Cup, the greatest prize for me.”

 Messi’s standing among the all-time greats has been secure for some time now, but victory with Argentina in the Middle East – which he helped to inspire before going on to collect another World Cup Golden Ball – is considered by many to have cemented his place at the very top of that list.

It remains to be seen how many years at the top Messi has left in him – as he admits that it is unlikely that he will grace the 2026 World Cup – with a new adventure being taken on at club level in 2023 as he prepares to link up with MLS side Inter Miami.