Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami teammates celebrated the Argentine’s eighth Ballon d’Or title with an astonishing gesture. The World Cup champion made further history Friday night, solidifying his status as the trophy’s all-time leading scorer.
Messi won the golden ball for the first time in 2009, and his latest success last night undoubtedly caps off a brilliant career. He beat out former colleague Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland to win.
He also made history by becoming the first player to win the award while participating in Major League Soccer. After his contract with Paris Saint-Germain was allowed to expire, the attacker signed with David Beckham’s Inter Miami on a free transfer. The players from Inter Miami showed their admiration for the Barcelona great by attending his victory celebration.
After Messi won the Ballon d’Or, the current Inter Miami squad presented him with a gift.
The ten-time La Liga winner and his teammates showed up to training with confetti cannons and a guard of honor, as shown on Inter Miami’s social media. They also commemorated the Argentine’s eight Ballon d’Ors by signing a golden number eight.
Since joining the MLS team, Messi has made an evident impression. When he arrived, the club had only 18 points and were last in the Major League Soccer standings. However, alongside former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, the number 10 propelled his side to a 12 match unbeaten run, including eight triumphs.
Suddenly, it appeared as if Miami had a shot at making the playoffs. An injury to their talisman’s hamstring put an end to that hope because they couldn’t resurrect their shape without the little magician up front.
Despite this, the club’s debut League’s Cup victory made this the most successful season in its brief existence. Messi scored the game-winning goal in the deciding shootout after his team trailed Nashville 1-0 after 120 minutes.
The team’s head coach, Gerardo Martino, praised the Ballon d’Or winner for his contributions. Martino said, via the MLS’s official website, that his players’ “first impact,” including the additions of Leo and Busquets, “has given [teammates] a lot of confidence.” They have more faith in the great players and feel less pressure to perform. And then they have more fun because they are less inhibited.
