“The greatest of all” – Chelsea superstar salutes Lionel Messi after 8th Ballon d’Or win

Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez sent a special message to Lionel Messi after the latter's record-extending Ballon d'Or win in Paris on October 30.

Messi beat second-placed Erling Haaland and third-placed Kylian Mbappe to receive the award at the Theatre de Chatelet. After the 36-year-old's triumph, Fernandez took to Instagram and posted a story with a congratulatory message that said:

"The greatest of all [Crown emoji]... Without words captain... Thank you very much @leomessi" [Translated by Google]

Fernandez and Messi, of course, play together for the Argentina national team. They were both first-team regulars under Lionel Scaloni at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which La Albiceleste won.

In fact, the former Barcelona superstar was a major reason behind the triumph. The captain scored seven goals and laid out three assists in seven World Cup games, winning the Golden Ball in the process.

Messi now holds three more Ballon d'Or award wins over Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five to his name. The Argentine superstar won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and now, 2023. It is a record that may take a long time to be broken; if it ever is.

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What Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has said about Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez in the recent past

Argentina knew that a defeat to Mexico in the second group-stage match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup could have meant curtains for their campaign.

They had, after all, lost the opening game 2-1 to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez stepped up to the plate, scoring second-half goals to help Argentina beat Mexico 2-0.

The 22-year-old central midfielder had just moved to SL Benfica in the summer of 2022 and was a surprise package for many in Qatar. After the win against Mexico, Messi said (h/t TheChronicleLive):

"I’m not surprised by Enzo. I know him and I see him train every day. He deserves it because he’s a spectacular player."

Fernandez left Benfica after just six months and joined Chelsea in January 2023 for a fee of £106.8 million. Since then, he has managed a goal and two assists in 33 games across competitions for the west London giants.