Unbelievable Lionel Messi Ballon d’Or stat surfaces ahead of 2023 award ceremony 

Inter Miami and Argentina captain Lionel Messi is among the leading contenders for the 2023 Ballon d'Or, which would be a record-extending eighth win. Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, the Argentine forward has enjoyed a dominant and unprecedented career in terms of individual and team achievements.

Lionel Messi has won the award more times than any other player in history, with rival Ronaldo his closest competitor for the award with five. This year, for the first time in two decades, Cristiano Ronaldo was excluded from the list of nominees for the prestigious honor.

As a result of his performance for club and country over the last year, Lionel Messi was nominated for the award and is the favorite to win it.

The ceremony for the 2023 edition of the award is taking place in Paris, where the nominees are in attendance. As the ceremony is ongoing, ESPNFC revealed a mind-blowing statistic on X (formerly Twitter) about Messi, one which underlines his greatness.

"Lionel Messi won his FOURTH consecutive Ballon d'Or at 25 years old. There are NO active players in the world under the age of 35 with a single Ballon d'Or 😳"

For context, Messi won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009 at the age of 22, after Cristiano Ronaldo had won the preceding edition. It became a duopoly as either man won the award every year until 2018 when Luka Modric won it.

The statistic points to Messi's incredible longevity, who is still considered by many as the best player in the world. The Inter Miami ace was the best among his peers, saw off the competition of the next generation, and is in competition with another generation presently.

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Lionel Messi to be deserving winner of Ballon d'Or

From multiple indications all over the internet, Lionel Messi will receive his eighth Ballon d'Or in Paris this evening. The legendary forward will have beat off competition from Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, both phenomenal footballers in their own rights.

Messi delivered top-level performances for club and country in the period under review, and this has earned him the highest individual plaudit in the game. He helped Paris Saint-Germain win the French Ligue 1 for a second consecutive season, contributing 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 appearances.

With the Argentina national team, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of winning the FIFA World Cup and did so in style. He won the Golden Ball and set a number of records en route to the title.