Kylian Mbappé, a superstar for Paris Saint-Germain, finished third at Monday night’s Ballon d’Or honors, an accomplishment somewhat overshadowed by his former capital club teammate Lionel Messi’s astonishing capture of his eighth Ballon d’Or.

Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi both played for the Uber Eats Ligue 1 champions PSG last season, and both had massive campaigns in the World Cup, including awesome performances in the showpiece final. However, Messi, who won the 2022 World Cup and holds the record with seven previous Ballons d’Or, was the recipient of the award on Monday night in Paris.

Messi, “My Last Ballon d’Or”

Messi, who is currently playing for MLS team Inter Miami, said after earning his record-extending prize that he “thinks this is my last Ballon d’Or” to French sports daily L’Equipe. And I’m pleased to be the only player in history to win eight Ballon d’Or honors. And that’s pretty much the whole story.

An emerging epic rivalry

While Kylian Mbappé’s duel with Norwegian international Erling Haaland is still in its early stages, Lionel Messi’s GOAT status was locked in with this eighth gong – his third since career-long rival Cristiano Ronaldo won the last of his five titles in 2017.

Both are highly regarded attackers with impressive scoring records, but the Manchester City player came out on top this time. Mbappé finished second to Haaland, who scored 52 goals in 53 games in 2022-23, helping Manchester United win the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League.

But the man who scored just the second-ever World Cup final hat-trick — against Messi and co., no less — sat next to Haaland in the Paris ceremony, beaming, and you can bet that the Boy from Bondy will be among the front-runners for the 2024 edition of football’s top individual prize as this next great rivalry heats up.

“I spent two years at the same club as Kylian,” Messi stated on Monday night. “We trained and played together, and I know how immensely talented he is.”