Lionel Messi receives the Ballon d'Or for the 8th time
Lionel Messi, who helped his country win the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year, was awarded the Ballon d'Or as the world's smallest player on Monday. This was the eighth time that the Argentine has won the prestigious award from France Football magazine.
"Thank you to everyone, especially my teammates. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. This Ballon d'Or is a great gift for the whole of Argentina," said the Inter Miami striker.
Award for Vinicius Júnior
The Brazilian highlight at the awards was Vinicius Júnior. The striker for Real Madrid (Spain) and the Brazilian national team received the Socrates Award, which is designed to pay tribute to actions of solidarity promoted by personalities from the world of soccer. This honor was awarded to him because of the work of the Vini Jr Institute, which uses soccer as a tool for educating children and teenagers, as well as training teachers in anti-racist pedagogical practices.
"I'm very happy to receive this award, to be able to help so many children in Brazil and in my neighborhood [...]. I'm very happy to be able to help them. It's a very special dream to be here with all of you," said the Brazilian player.
Best team
Manchester City (England), winners of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League last season, have been voted the best team of the year. "Everything we've achieved is a dream come true [...]. It was a season in which we made our dreams come true," said Spanish midfielder Rodri. The women's version of the award went to Barcelona.
Englishman Jude Bellingham, currently starring for Real Madrid, won the award for best under-21 player for his time with Borussia Dortmund (Germany).
* With information from the Reuters news agency.
