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Former Argentina international Sergio Aguero has made headlines after winning $8,000 for betting on his country's captain Lionel Messi to win the Golden Ball at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar scored seven goals and provided three key assists, leading Argentina to their third World Cup title. He also scored two crucial goals in the finals against defending champions France.
The former Manchester City star placed his bet on Messi at odds of 100/1, meaning he won $800 for every dollar he wagered. Aguero took to Instagram to share his excitement about the win, posting a photo of his betting slip and captioning it with the words "I love you, Leo."
A month before the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, Aguero bet 1,000 dollars that the captain of the Argentina national team would be crowned the best player in Qatar.
In the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup, Messi has been in top form for both his club and the national team. After a horrible first season with PSG, Messi returned to prime goal-scoring form with 26 involvements, scoring 12 and assisting 14 more, in 19 appearances across different tournaments this season.
With such impressive performances on the pitch since the start of the 2022-23 season, it's no surprise that Aguero was confident of betting on Messi to win the Golden Ball award.
The former Barcelona star continued the same form on the biggest stage in world football to complete his dream of winning the World Cup title. Fans, football pundits, and former players have hailed the 35-year-old as the greatest player of all time, ending the GOAT debate with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Meanwhile, Messi has announced that he will not retire from international football despite achieving almost everything with Argentina. He wishes to continue playing for Argentina and achieve more in the twilight years of his professional career.
Fans believe Paris Saint-Germain's UCL triumph will confirm Lionel Messi his 8th Ballon d'Or award
Lionel Messi is having the time of his life after winning the Copa America and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in one year. Fans believe that the 35-year-old Argentine is on course to win his eighth Ballon d'Or award and Paris Saint-Germain's UCL triumph this year could be the deciding factor.
However, Lionel Messi 's PSG teammate and World Cup Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe could play spoilsport in the Ballon d'Or race. The 23-year-old French international is on a mad goalscoring spree, having a 10-goal involvement in Qatar and 23 more with his French club.
The eighth Ballon d'Or award will be a perfect ending to Messi's glorious year. However, Mbappe winning the Ballon d'Or award might compensate for his World Cup loss and put him on course to break the Lionel Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo domination in the individual awards after more than a decade, only once interrupted by Luka Modric (2018).
