Lionel Messi has won his seventh Ballon d\u2019Or crown \u2013 beating Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo to the prestigious award.
\nThe Argentine, 34, now leads \u2026<\/b>
\nLionel Messi has won his seventh Ballon d\u2019Or crown \u2013 beating Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo to the prestigious award. The Argentine,34, now leads arch-rival Ronaldo \u2013 who finished sixth \u2013 by two Ballons d\u2019Or in their race to be crowned football\u2019s true GOAT. Messi got his hands on No7 on Monday night having also won in 2009,2010,2011,2012,2015 and 2019. The Paris Saint-Germain star finished ahead of Lewandowski, who had to settle for second place despite his goal-laden year \u2013 after missing out as favorite for the canceled prize last year. But it was extremely close as Messi \u2013 who scored 613 points in the voting \u2013 finishing just 33 points ahead of Lewandowski (580). Chelsea star Jorginho (460) took third with team-mate N\u2019Golo Kante in fifth \u2013 and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema coming in fourth. Jorginho had helped Chelsea \u2013 who won Club of the Year at the ceremony \u2013 triumph in the Champions League before playing a huge part in Italy\u2019s charge to the Euro 2020 title. There had been calls for the midfielder to win the award, but he had to settle for the bronze medal on the night. Despite his spectacular year and being one of the favorites, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was forced to settle for seventh \u2013 one spot behind Ronaldo. Ahead of the ceremony, Ronaldo broke his silence after opting to skip the 2021 glitzy bash in Paris. The Manchester United star,36, has won five Ballons d\u2019Or during his glittering career. Earlier this week, Pascal Ferre, the editor in chief of France Football \u2013 organizers of the Ballon d\u2019Or \u2013 claimed Ronaldo had revealed to him his only career goal was to win more Ballons d\u2019Or than Messi. But Ronaldo has hit back with a fiery statement on Instagram, saying Ferre \u2018lied\u2019 to \u2018promote his publication\u2019. In losing out to Messi, Ronaldo now sits two gongs behind his rival \u2013 with time rapidly running out of time to close the deficit. Meanwhile, Lewandowski was forced to settle for the new Striker of the Year award, missing out on the Ballon d\u2019Or itself. Messi hailed the Bayern striker during his acceptance speech, saying: He said: \u201cI would like to mention Robert Lewandowski, it\u2019s been a real honor to compete with you. \u201cEveryone knows and we agree that you were the winner last year. \u201cI think France Football should award you your 2020 Ballon d\u2019Or \u2013 you deserve it and you should have it at home.\u201d Gianluigi Donnarumma \u2013 who saved two penalties against England in the Euro 2020 final shootout \u2013 won the Goalkeeper of the Year award, beating Chelsea and Senegal star Edouard Mendy. Donnarumma also finished tenth in the main Ballon d\u2019Or standings, behind Kylian Mbappe (ninth) and Kevin de Bruyne (eighth). Barcelona and Spain whiz Pedri won the Kopa Trophy for best young player, beating England trio Jude Bellingham (second), Mason Greenwood (fifth) and Bukayo Saka (sixth). In a touching moment, Messi was spotted beaming with pride as his old club-mate was presented with his gong. Another Barca and Spain star won the Women\u2019s Ballon d\u2019Or \u2013 as Alexia Putellas walked away with the trophy. This story originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission.<\/p>\n