Lionel Messi gave an extremely modest answer when he was asked if he is the best football player in history at the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Messi won his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or award at last night's event in Paris.
He led Argentina to World Cup glory after beating France in the final to win the prestigious tournament for the first time in his legendary career.
The superstar forward beat Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe to land the coveted individual accolade.
Advert
Inter Miami owner David Beckham presented the 36-year-old with the Ballon d'Or.
After bagging his eighth Ballon d'Or award, he said: "It's nice to be here once more to enjoy this moment. To be able to win the World Cup and achieve my dream.
"I couldn't imagine having the career I've had and everything I've achieved, the fortune I've had to be part of the best team in history.
"All of them [Ballon d'Or awards] are special for different reasons."
After the ceremony, Messi spoke to reporters during a press conference, where he was asked if he is the best football player in history.
"As I always said, I do not know if I am the best player in history or not," he replied via @AlbicelesteTalk. "If I am one of the best, then this is a wonderful thing."
The Argentine enhanced his legacy following his national team's World Cup success in Qatar last year.
He's enjoyed a prolific, trophy-laden career, having starred at Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.
Messi won his first Ballon d'Or award in 2009 - then won it again in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He won his fifth award in 2015 before triumphing again in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Football
Nasir Jabbar