Yes, Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or eight times. This stands as the record for the most individual awards won by a male footballer. His career spans a broad era of the prize, from his early dominance at Barcelona to his later triumphs with Argentina.
The record-breaking total
Messi’s eight awards place him significantly ahead of his rivals. Cristiano Ronaldo, the only other player to come close, has won the prize five times. The gap between the two highlights the scale of Messi’s individual success over a decade. The award is presented by the French magazine France Football and has been given since 1956.
When did he win?
His victories are spread across two distinct phases of his career. He won four times in a row in his prime years, then returned to the top after a few years away.
- 2009: First win following Barcelona’s treble season.
- 2010: Second consecutive win.
- 2011: Third consecutive win.
- 2012: Fourth consecutive win, during his record goal-scoring year.
- 2015: Fifth win after another treble with Barcelona.
- 2019: Sixth win based on statistical dominance in La Liga.
- 2021: Seventh win after winning the Copa América.
- 2023: Eighth win following the 2022 World Cup victory.
The four-year streak
The period from 2009 to 2012 is often cited as the peak of his individual brilliance. During these years, Messi played for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, a team that redefined attacking football. His 2012 performance was particularly notable, as he scored 91 goals in a single calendar year. This broke a record held by Gerd Müller for decades. The consistency required to win four years in a row is rare in the history of the sport.
International legacy and later wins
For a long time, critics argued that Messi’s legacy was incomplete because he had not won a major trophy with Argentina. The 2021 Copa América changed that narrative. Winning that tournament helped secure his seventh Ballon d'Or. The following year, he captained Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. That victory is widely considered the final piece of his career puzzle and led directly to his eighth award in 2023.
How the voting works
The Ballon d'Or is not decided by coaches or captains, but by journalists. A panel of reporters from the top 100 FIFA-ranked nations votes for their top five players. The winner is determined by a points system: first place gets six points, second gets four, and so on down to one point for fifth place. The player with the highest total score wins. This method ensures the award reflects a global consensus among media professionals rather than a single group of insiders.