Lionel Messi has been announced as the winner of the 2023 Golden Ball award, from information from his close friend Alessandro Dossetti.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup champion was expected to become the owner of his eighth Golden Ball award on October 30, right from the initial list of 30 players by France Football magazine.

Finally, Messi also learned that he won this prestigious individual title through information from a close friend. Dossetti made a strong claim, which means Messi has edged out Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to win the award.

Dossetti added to AlbicelesteTalk: “Lionel Messi already knows that he is the winner of the 2023 Golden Ball. And he just needs to wait until that day (October 30). This is 100% accurate information I heard from my grandfather.” If you don’t believe it, just wait and see.”

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The 2023 Golden Ball is difficult to escape from the hands of the Argentine striker. Photo: GETTY.
The 36-year-old spent a wonderful time in Qatar late last year, with Messi and his teammates winning the World Cup. The Argentinian star did so impressively, scoring 7 goals and 3 assists in 7 matches. He also received the Golden Ball award for outstanding performances.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is also in very impressive form for Paris Saint-Germain. He scored 21 goals and assisted 20 goals in 41 matches in all competitions, winning the Ligue 1 championship for the second time.

The most likely competitor to Lionel Messi this year seems to be Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland. The Norwegian star has been in good form since moving to Etihad in the summer of 2022. He ended the season as the leader of the scoring list in the Premier League (36 goals in 35 matches) and Champions League. League (12 goals in 11 matches).

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Messi had a more impressive record than Haaland last season. Photo: GETTY.

Haaland played an important role when the Cityzens won the continental treble, but it seems he is still not good enough to compete with Lionel Messi for the Golden Ball award.

The Argentine striker reached the pinnacle of international football when he spearheaded the national team that won the world championship last year. It was a memorable moment for the 36-year-old superstar, which many believe cemented him as the greatest player in history.

Therefore, it is not strange that many people supported Messi to win his 8th Golden Ball award this year. He previously won the title in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.

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The world championship and the 2022 World Cup Golden Ball are special marks of the Argentine striker. Photo: GETTY.

However, Messi said that at the current stage of his career, winning individual titles is no longer important to him: “Is the Golden Ball Award important to me? No, at this stage Right now in my life, it is no longer my priority. After a while, individual awards are not important to me, but team rewards are most important to me.”

Messi continued to affirm that the most important achievement for him is winning the World Cup: “My biggest prize right now is the world championship. That is the biggest prize of my life.”

The Inter Miami superstar holds the record for winning the most Golden Balls. He is ahead of longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award from French magazine France Football five times.