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Back in 2011, Lionel Messi admitted he was "as surprised as anyone" when he won the Ballon d'Or ahead of his then-Barcelona teammates. The legendary Argentine led the Blaugrana to win La Liga and the Supercopa de Espana in 2010, alongside Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
However, the two midfielders looked like stronger candidates for the coveted award, especially because of their brilliance in the 2010 World Cup. They led Spain to win that trophy, with Iniesta notably scoring in the final. However, it was Messi who won the 2010 Ballon d'Or, surprising many.
Lionel Messi has now revealed that he was also surprised by his win, as he also assumed Iniesta or Xavi might clinch the award instead. He explained to the crowd when he won (via UEFA):
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"This is a very special day for me. I would obviously like to share this with all of my team-mates because if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be up here accepting this award. There was so much talk beforehand of Andrés Iniesta or Xavi Hernández winning so I'm as surprised as anyone.
"It's fantastic to win another one of these trophies and I hope now that things continue going well at Barcelona and that I can achieve with Argentina. On a personal level, I'm conscious that Barcelona are doing really well and that we're picking up individual awards because of that. This time it's my turn to win one."
It was a record-breaking moment for the Catalans, as Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi all made it to the podium. All three players notably came through Barca's La Masia academy.
When Barcelona legend Lionel Messi missed out on the Ballon d'Or for the first time since 2006
When the 2024 Ballon d'Or nominee list was released, Lionel Messi's name was not on the list. It was the first time in nearly 20 years, as the Barcelona legend was first nominated in 2006.
He notably won his first-ever award in 2009, starting up a two-way dominance of the individual honor with Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he enjoyed a much better return than his Portuguese counterpart.
While Ronaldo racked up an impressive five awards, Messi truly broke records with an unprecedented eight. However, since leaving Europe and moving to Inter Miami, the legendary playmaker was bound to stop receiving nominations in due course.
That happened in 2024, when both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on the Ballon d'Or entirely. Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the award, while no Barcelona player made the podium.
