France’s Lionel Messi has won a record-extending seventh Ballon d’Or award, in a ceremony overshadowed by Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi finished with 613 points, edging out Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored 580.
“It is a huge honor to fight with Robert,” Messi said.
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“Last year you were the winner and I think France Football should give it to you.”
That comment was in reference to the 2020 awards, which were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lewandowski, who won striker of the year, scored 41 goals in the Bundesliga, setting a new single-season scoring record in the process.
Messi, 34, led Argentina to the Copa American title in July, just weeks before his high-profile move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.
“I’m very happy to be here, happy to keep fighting for new trophies,” he said.
“Two years ago I thought that it was my last year and now I am here again. I am very happy, very excited and wanting to fight for new challenges.
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“I don’t know how many years I have left, but I hope many more. I’d like to thank all my (former) teammates at Barcelona and Argentina.”
Messi and Ronaldo have now won every Ballon d’Or since 2008, with the sole exception of Luka Modrić’s win in 2018.
But Ronaldo wasn’t in attendance at this year’s award, where he finished sixth. It’s the first time since 2010 he hasn’t finished in the top three.
The Manchester United star took to social media before the ceremony to slam Pascal Ferré, the editor of France Football, who organises the awards.
Ferré told the New York Times that Ronaldo was driven only by a desire to win the award more times than Messi.
“Ronaldo has only one ambition, and that is to retire with more Ballons d’Or than Messi, and I know that because he has told me,” Ferré said.
That drew an angry response from Ronaldo, in an Instagram post translated into English.
“Today’s outcome explains why Pascal Ferré’s statements last week, when he said that I confided in him that my only ambition was to finish my career with more Golden Balls than Lionel Messi,” Ronaldo wrote.
“Pascal Ferré lied, he used my name to promote himself and to promote the publication he works for. It is unacceptable that the person responsible for awarding such a prestigious prize could lie in this way, in absolute disrespect for someone who has always respected France Football and the Ballon d’Or. And he lied again today, justifying my absence from the Gala with an alleged quarantine that has no reason to exist.
“I always want to congratulate those who win, within the sportsmanship and fair-play that have guided my career since the beginning, and I do it because I’m never against anyone. I always win for myself and for the clubs I represent, I win for myself and for those who love me. I don’t win against anyone.
“The biggest ambition of my career is to win national and international titles for the clubs I represent and for the national team in my country. The biggest ambition of my career is to be a good example for all those who are or want to be professional footballers. The biggest ambition of my career is to leave my name written in golden letters in the history of world football.
“I will end by saying that my focus is already on Manchester United’s next game and on everything that, together with my team-mates and our fans, we can still achieve this season.”
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