#Title

‘ALL OF THEM ARE SPECIAL’
REUTERS, Paris
Argentina captain Lionel Messi won a record eighth Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world on Monday, beating Norway’s UEFA player of the year and treble winner Erling Haaland of Manchester City to the prestigious prize.
Inter Miami’s Messi, who last won the award in 2021, played a pivotal role in guiding Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years when they beat defending champions France in the final last year.
The 36-year-old is now three Ballons d’Or clear of rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the last of his five trophies in 2017. Messi has now finished among the top three a record 14 times in total, finishing runner-up on five occasions.
“I couldn’t imagine having the career that I’ve had. Everything that I’ve achieved. The fortune I’ve had playing for the best team in the world, the best team in history. It’s nice to win these individual trophies. To win the Copa America and then the World Cup, to get it done is amazing,” Messi said.
“All of them (Ballon d’Or awards) are special for different reasons,” he added.
“I’m happy to get that recognition that I’m getting thanks to what we have achieved with the national team,” Messi told Reuters.
“This (World Cup) title we had been aiming for for so many years makes it even more special.”
Asked if he would carry on until the 2026 World Cup, Messi said: “I don’t think about it. I’ll enjoy (my career) day by day. There will first be the Copa America in the United States (in 2024). (The World Cup), I don’t think about it.”
Earlier, Messi’s World Cup-winning team mate Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin award for the world’s best goalkeeper.
Spain’s Women’s World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women’s Ballon d’Or.
“It’s an individual trophy but it can’t exist without a team,” she told reporters.
Messi, who won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 and claimed four in a row until 2012, finished second to Haaland at the UEFA awards in August.
Haaland, 23, was one of the firm favourites for his first Ballon d’Or after scoring 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions last season as City won the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
But Argentina’s magical run at the World Cup in Qatar, where Messi earned the Golden Ball and Silver Boot, helped him pip the Norwegian striker to the award.

Vinicius vows to continue fight against racism
REUTERS, Paris
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr will keep speaking out against racism in world soccer after receiving the Socrates Award on Monday at the Ballon d’Or ceremony for his contribution off the field.
Vinicius, who has been racially abused regularly in LaLiga games for the last two seasons, was recognised for starting a foundation that is building schools in impoverished areas and investing in education in Brazil.
“I will remain strong in the fight against racism,” said the Brazilian, who received the award from the Prince of Monaco. “It is a very sad thing to talk about racism nowadays, but we have to continue in the fight so that people suffer less.
“Very happy to receive this award and to help many children in Brazil. I had little chance of getting where I have coming from where I came so it is a pleasure for me to help as many kid as I can so they can have a chance.”
The 23-year-old was the only Brazilian in the top 10 of the ranking for this year’s Ballon d’Or after scoring 23 goals in all competitions for Real last season.
The forward was also part of an emotional tribute to Pele, the Brazil great who died in December last year at the age of 82.
“Pele is a god for me and if I am here today, it is thanks to him. He put Brazil on a different level and people respect Brazilian players thanks to the great legacy he left,” Vinicius said.
The Vini Jr. Institute, created in 2020, aims to use the popularity of football to help innovations in teaching and learning in Brazilian public schools.

Bonmati hails Spain’s football culture
REUTERS, Paris
Winning the women’s Ballon d’Or is a testimony to Spain’s football culture, this year’s winner Aitana Bonmati said after her triumph kept the trophy in the country for the third year in a row on Monday.
Bonmati, a Champions League winner with Barcelona and World Cup winner with Spain, succeeds fellow Spaniard Alexia Putellas, who was also the 2021 winner.
“Spain has something unique. In recent years we have achieved a lot with our clubs and the national team,” Bonmati told reporters.
“It says a lot that we won the Ballon d’Or three times in a row. We are a country that lives football, and we work hard every day to be the best.”
While she has now won the biggest titles in the sport, Bonmati still has the sparkle and motivation to reach new heights.