When Lionel Messi will get the Super Ballon d’Or Award?

Lionel Messi is used to making history and the Argentina international is set for another milestone at the 2023 Ballon d’Or in Paris.

Messi’s incredible leadership of Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup has made the Inter Miami forward hot favorite to win his eighth Ballon d’Or. That would extend the record he already holds over Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won five times.

His impending victory will likely be Messi’s last appearance on the Ballon d’Or stage as his career approaches its final years for club and country from 2024. As long as he plays for Inter Miami, he will not be eligible to win the prestigious France Football award again.

However, there is one award that Messi could still be in contention for – and it’s one with a very exclusive list of winners.

The former Barcelona star could become only the second Super Ballon d’Or winner in history.

What is the Super Ballon d’Or?

The Super Ballon d’Or is an exclusive award that can be awarded to a player who has won the Ballon d’Or on multiple occasions.

France Football has decided to create a vote for the Super Ballon d’Or based on the credentials of a potential candidate who shows a consistent and historic level of excellence.

The award has only been awarded once, in 1989, to honor the player considered the best of the previous three decades. Three sets of voting panels were created to decide the winner: the France Football jury, a group of former Ballon d’Or winners and the France Football readers’ poll.

Who won the Super Ballon d’Or?

Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano won the award for 1989. The former striker is still the only player to have won the title.

Di Stefano won two Ballon d’Or awards in 1957 and 1959 and is considered by some to be Madrid’s greatest-ever player. He was a key part of the team that won five consecutive European Cups from 1956 to 1960.

Ajax, Netherlands, and Barcelona’s Johan Cruyff came second in the voting for the Super Ballon d’Or in 1989, with former France and Juventus star Michel Platini third.

Why Lionel Messi could win the Super Ballon d’Or

France Football does not have a set time frame from which historical dominance is measured. However, it has been suggested that a second Super Ballon d’Or could be awarded in 2029.

Messi’s stunning Ballon d’Or haul, not to mention his extensive collection of winners’ medals throughout his career for club and country, would make him the favorite to win the latter award. Cristiano Ronaldo would of course also be in the game.

Who has won the most Ballon d’Or awards?

Messi is the most successful Ballon d’Or winner of all time with Eight titles, followed by his rival Cristiano Ronaldo with five.

Only 10 players of all time have won multiple Ballon d’Or awards. 34 other players have won the Ballon d’Or once in their career.