Argentine football star, Lionel Messi has been tipped to win his 8th Ballon d’Or. The news on the internet has caused mixed reactions ahead of the Ballon d’Or 2023 ceremony scheduled to be held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday, October 30.

Naija Latest Gist understands that the 36-year-old Argentine professional footballer was instrumental in his home country’s triumph at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The news about Messi lifting an eighth Ballon d’Or is coming after the alleged winners for both the male and female awards for 2023 were leaked in the media.

It will be recalled that Messi won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 with Barcelona. He went on a strick in 2010, 2011, and 2012, after which Cristiano Ronaldo crossed him to win in 2013 and 2014 while at Real Madrid.

Again, Messi won in 2015, with Ronaldo coming forward to win twice in 2016 and 2017 at Real Madrid. Lionel Messi won his sixth Ballon d’Or in 2019 at Barcelona and seventh in 2021 with PSG.

France star, Karim Benzema, however, came on board and won the award in 2022. With the trio mentioned all out of top-tier leagues in the world of Football, Messi is still tipped to win this year’s Ballon d’Or ahead of his peers.

Messi had spent his youth days with Barcelona and later moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) before his new contract with Inter Miami in July, captivating the Major League Soccer (MLS) with a series of mesmerizing performances.

Despite missing out on the 2022 accolade, which was awarded to Karim Benzema, reports suggest that Messi has been informed of his victory in the upcoming Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Additionally, according to the Catalan newspaper Sport, Aitana Bonmati, a midfielder for Barcelona, will be announced as the recipient of the female award at the esteemed Chatelet Theater. Bonmati triumphed in the Women’s World Cup with Spain, triumphing over England in a thrilling final held in August.

Messi’s imminent triumph will result in the Ballon d’Or being awarded to a non-European club player for the first time in history and will extend his lead over his eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo by three.

It was observed that the Argentine talisman recently faced fierce competition from Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, and former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe.

Haaland achieved a remarkable feat last season by scoring 52 goals in 53 games and winning the Treble with City. Mbappe, on the other hand, made a memorable hat-trick in the World Cup final against Messi’s Argentina and performed well during an otherwise disappointing campaign for PSG.

Though, despite being the most decorated footballer in history, Messi has always maintained that he does not attach much importance to the Ballon d’Or. Shortly after joining Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham, the Argentine forward explained, “I have said it many times, the Ballon d’Or is very important due to the recognition at the individual level, but I never gave it importance.”