The gift Lionel Messi received from Inter Miami teammates after winning Ballon d'Or

Lionel Messi received a gift from his Inter Miami teammates after winning the Ballon d’Or.

On Monday Messi won a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or at a ceremony in Paris.

The Argentinian finished ahead of Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe after leading his nation to their first World Cup triumph since 1986 last December.

In the Qatar World Cup Messi captained his side, scored seven goals in seven games and was crowned player of the tournament.

The Ballon d'Or recognises the best footballer of the year and is voted for by 100 journalists from around the world.

And upon Messi receiving his eighth award, three more than anyone else, with Cristiano Ronaldo having won it five times, his Inter Miami teammates offered the Argentinian a big golden cut out of an ‘8’, signed by the squad.

You can watch it below.

While presenting Messi with the cut-out, Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender said: “To the best player in the world. Already signed by all the [players].

“Thank you Leo. Congratulations again. Ocho.”

As well as helping Argentina to World Cup glory, Messi also played a key role as Inter Miami won their first-ever trophy - the Leagues Cup.

The pint-sized forward has scored 11 goals in 14 appearances for the Major League Soccer side.

Upon winning the Ballon d’Or earlier this week, Messi 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.

The former Barcelona and Paris St-Germain star continued: "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."

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: Football, Lionel Messi, Inter Miami, Ballon d'Or

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.