"They deserve it as much as I do or even more" - When Lionel Messi dedicated Ballon d'Or win to two Barcelona legends

Lionel Messi once dedicated his Ballon d'Or to Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez. The Argentine legend shared the dressing room with the two Spanish midfielders at Barcelona and pipped them to the prestigious award in 2010.

Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi were all products of Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy. The trio dominated in their respective positions and led La Blaugrana to several titles.

La Masia became the first youth academy ever, and the only one to date, to have all three finalists for the Ballon d'Or in the same year. Messi won the award (his second consecutive Ballon d'Or) while Iniesta and Xavi finished second and third, respectively.

However, the Argentine recognized the efforts of his teammates after clinching the award, claiming that they deserved it as well. ESPN FC recently shared an old post on Instagram in which the 37-year-old can be seen dedicating his Ballon d'Or win to his former teammates, saying:

“I want to make a toast in honour of Xavi and Andres because even though I won the prize, they deserve it as much as I do or even more.”

Lionel Messi went on to win six more Ballons d'Or and is the record holder today with eight titles. Meanwhile, Xavi and Iniesta failed to claim the award, only managing one more podium finish each. Xavi finished third in 2011 while Iniesta finished third in 2012.

The Inter Miami ace shared the pitch with Xavi 399 times. They contributed 42 goals together. The Argentine icon also recorded 53 joint-goal contributions in 489 games played alongside Iniesta.

How many Ballons d'Or did Lionel Messi win at Barcelona?

The Argentine superstar is the most decorated player in the Ballon d'Or history books with eight wins. Lionel Messi won six Ballon d'Or titles at Barcelona and one each with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Inter Miami

Messi won the first of his eight titles in 2009. He took home the award the next three years as well (2010, 2011, and 2012), becoming the first player to win four consecutive Ballons d'Or.

He won again in 2015 and 2019, becoming the first to clinch the award a record six times. Messi extended the record with two more wins in 2021 and 2023. However, the 37-year-old failed to make the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d'Or, marking his first omission since 2005.