Ballon d’Or: Messi not yet record holder – Organizers

Argentina and Inter Miami superstar, Lionel Messi has not been declared the 2023 Ballon d’Or winner, and cannot be seen already as the all-time leading holder despite having won it  seven times  according to reports from rom event organizers.

There are strong indications that Messi will be crowned the winner for record eighth time on Monday in Paris, only  then can the player be seen as the overall record Ballon d’Or winner.

The Ballon d’Or did not cover South America until 1995, Pele never officially won the Golden Ball.

However, in 2016, the award organisers, France Football, conducted an ‘international re-evaluation’.

It was determined that Pele would have won the award the awards seven times (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1970) had he been eligible.

That would mean Messi will only become the outright record winner of the Ballon d’Or if he wins an eighth prize.