Lionel Messi remains the murmurs in the town, with the player touted to lift his 8th Ballon d’Or this weekend. The Argentinian icon has broken multiple records throughout his career and will etch his name in the record books yet again if he lifts the coveted title. There is a lot of buzz around the prestigious award this year on who actually wins it. However, Messi is in a pole position to lift the coveted award while facing a stiff challenge from Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. Having a season with 52 goals is Messi-like after all! 

Regardless, with Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup last year, fans are confident that the Argentinian deserves to lift the coveted golden ball. As La Pulga inches closer to claiming the prestigious award in just four days, there remain nine additional records that Messi can shatter by winning this year’s Ballon d’Or.

1. First player to win the Ballon d’Or while playing outside Europe

Lionel Messi stunned fans when he signed for Inter Miami this summer. The Argentinian spent most of his career playing for FC Barcelona and PSG, and his decision to leave Europe came out of nowhere. If La Pulga lifts the grand prize this weekend, he will become the first player in soccer history to win the award while not playing for a European side. Talk about a boost for MLS!

2. First player from MLS/Inter Miami to win

Carrying on from the first record, no player in the game’s history ever won the Ballon d’Or while playing outside Europe. Even the legendary Pele never won the title once in his career. However, Messi will become the first MLS/Inter Miami player to win the award.

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3. First player to have won it in 3 different decades

Lionel Messi won the award for the first time in his career in 2009. Fourteen years later, La Pulga is on the verge of making history. If the Argentinian wins the title, he will become the only player in history to win the coveted title in three specific decades. (2000s, 2010s and 2020s). It’s similar to Arsenal’s Tony Adams winning the Premier League in the ’80s, ’90s, and the 2000s.

4. Lionel Messi could be the first player to win at 36 years

While the top three records are massive, this one is somewhat peculiar. England winger Sir Stanley Mathews set the record to become the oldest Ballon d’Or winner at the age of 41 back in 1956. Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazario is the youngest player to win the Ballon d’Or at 21. Nonetheless, Messi will become the first player in soccer history to win the award at 36. Moving forward, the records keep tumbling. 

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5. First player to win it with 3 different clubs

No player has ever won the Ballon d’Or while representing three different clubs throughout their career. La Pulga won six of them during his time with FC Barcelona and added another when he lifted his record 7th Ballon d’Or while representing PSG. If Messi lifts the title this Sunday, he will win the award while playing for Inter Miami, becoming the first player in the world to win the award while representing three different clubs.

6. Player with the longest gap between first and last Ballon d’Or wins

Lionel Messi is close to breaking another record held by rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Before Messi’s potential win, Cristiano Ronaldo maintained the record for the longest gap between a player’s first and last Ballon d’Or win. The Portuguese superstar first won the award back in 2008. Ronaldo, then nine years later, won his 5th Ballon d’Or in 20017. If Messi wins the award this year, he will establish a record of 14 years with his first Ballon d’Or coming back in 2009.

7. Most podium appearances by a player- Lionel Messi

Even if Messi fails to secure the award, he would still achieve a remarkable feat. The Argentine will become the first player to make it into the top three rankings for the award for a record 14th time. No player in history has made more podium appearances for the Ballon d’Or. La Pulga made his first podium appearance in 2007 and has missed the podium just twice since his first appearance.

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8. Most Ballon d’Or points won by a player

With Lionel Messi making fourteen podium appearances at the Ballon d’Or, the Argentine will automatically be at the top of the cumulated points earned by a player throughout their career. Each year, a hundred journalists pick their top three contenders for the grand prize. While the first pick gets 5 points, the second gets three, and one point for the third pick. With this, there is a total of 4,581 points up for grabs each year. With Messi being on the podium for the vast majority of his career, the Argentine set the record for most points earned by a player.

9. Most Ballon d’Or awards won by a country if Lionel Messi wins!

Some countries have dominated soccer since its inception. The likes of France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, and Argentina hold the joint record for the highest number of Ballon d’Or winners (7). However, unlike the first four countries where different players won the title from their nation, La Pulga has been the solo player for the Albiceleste to win the award. If Leo lifts the award this Sunday, he will take his country to the top, taking their tally to eight. Simply staggering. 

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Fans hope he can lift the award and create history to set another tale in the history of Lionel Messi’s illustrious career!