History was made in Paris tonight as Inter Miami Winger and World Cup Champion Leo Messi won his 8th Ballon d’Or award earlier today.

There was a tight competition to see who would come out on top with the greatest prize in all of soccer, as Messi faced immense pressure from Manchester City’s Erling Haaland who is coming off a record year scoring 36 goals in his debut season in the Premier League last year and currently has scored 11 goals in 10 games to start this brand new season. Messi also faced pressure from former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, Messi and Mbappe had faced off against each other in the World Cup Final at the end of 2022 for their respective countries. Messi came out on top to give Argentina another World Cup and his first ever World Cup win.

Messi made major waves this summer by leaving the European scene and coming over to the United States to play for Inter Miami in the MLS. Since Messi’s arrival, the team won their first club trophy by winning the Leagues Cup, however Inter Miami failed to qualify for the MLS playoffs.

When comparing the field, here’s how Messi faired against the three other men that competed for the most coveted prize in the sport;

• Leo Messi (PSG, Inter Miami & Argentina Stats and Accomplishments)
  • 16 goals and 16 assists at PSG (32 games)
    • Won Ligue 1 and Trophée des Champions Competition with PSG
  • 1 goal and 2 assists for Inter Miami (6 games)
    • Won Leagues Cup 2023 (First Trophy for Inter Miami as a team)
  • 7 goals and 3 assists for Argentina (7 games)
    • Won World Cup
• Erling Haaland (Stats for Manchester City (Both 2022-23 and Current 2023-24 Season) and Norway)
  • 36 goals and 8 assists (35 games) – 2022-23 Season
    • Won the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in the same year
  • 11 goals and 2 assists (10 games) – Current 2023-24 Season
  • 5 goals and 1 assist for Norway (6 games)
• Kylian Mbappe (Stats for PSG (Both 2022-23 and Current 2023-24 Season) and France)
  • 29 goals and 5 assists (34 games)
    • Won Ligue 1 and Trophée des Champions Competition
    • Ligue 1 Player of the Year
  • 10 goals and 1 assist (9 games) – Current 2023-24 Season
  • 8 goals and 2 assists for France (7 games)
    • World Cup runner up
• Kevin De Bruyne (Stats for Manchester City and Belgium)
  • 7 goals and 16 assists (32 games)
    • Won the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in the same year

There has been some controversy surrounding Messi’s victory as Haaland has outperformed everyone else in this list, however with the streak that Messi has been on and gifting Argentina their first World Cup win since 1986, it is clear as to why Messi has won it. In addition, Messi is currently the first player in MLS history to be an active player in the league and win the Ballon d’Or award.