Lionel Messi has one more award he is yet to win ahead of an expected eighth Ballon d’Or.
Inter Miami star Messi is the favourite to win his eighth Ballon d’Or award in Paris later in the month after enjoying a stellar year.
The 36-year-old played a key role as he inspired Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.
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Messi also enjoyed a decent season with Paris Saint Germain before ditching European football for MLS side Inter Miami this summer.
Throughout his illustrious career, Messi has won countless individual awards and broken records left, right and centre.
However, there is one award that he has so far failed to win, the Golden Foot.
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The Golden Foot has been around for 20 years, and previous winners include a whole list of football legends, but the list is missing one name.
To win the award, you have to be over the age of 28 to be in contention, and it is an award that can only be won once.
It is given to the best player in the calendar year voted by journalists, and previous winners include Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah, Luka Modric and Ronaldinho.
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In 2022, the award went to Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski.
After receiving the award, the Polish striker said: “I’m very happy, I’m very proud. For me, it’s a huge honour to win this award because I know how hard I’ve had to work for this and now I can be proud of myself.
“If you see the list of the names, the winners of this trophy, it makes me even more proud.”
Messi will be hoping to finally get his hands on the Golden Foot but will face tough competition from the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
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Topics: Lionel Messi, Ballon d'Or, Inter Miami, Football
Marcus Chan