5 youngest footballers to win the Ballon d'Or

Barcelona v Espanyol - La Liga
Lionel Messi with his first Ballon d'Or in 2009

#3 Lionel Messi 2009 (22 years, 5 months)

Barcelona v Dynamo Kiev - UEFA Champions League
Lionel Messi

Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi is widely recognised as one of the greatest footballers ever played. He has spent his whole career in Barcelona, winning more than 30 trophies.

In 2009 Messi won his first Ballon d'Or at the age of only 22. He led Barcelona to what is known as one of the greatest years for a club in football history, as they won every single trophy possible for them - La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Spanish and European Supercup, FIFA Club World Cup and, of course, UEFA Champions League.

Messi has been dominating the football since, winning the Ballon d'Or for the next three years and in 2015. He has built a famous rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo who joint Barcelona's biggest rival Real Madrid in 2009.

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Edited by Sundaresh Kumar
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