CORNERFLICK
Lionel Messi has extended his Ballon d'Or top-10 record to 16 editions after finishing among the 10 best players for 2026.
A run that began in 2007
Messi first made the podium in 2007, when he finished third aged 20. He was runner-up in 2008, then won the award four years in a row from 2009 to 2012.
He finished second again in 2013 and 2014, reclaimed the prize in 2015, and then came second in both 2016 and 2017. Messi was fifth in 2018, won his sixth Ballon d'Or in 2019, and returned to the top of the vote in 2021 after the 2020 award was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
More recent awards
Messi won his eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023 after Argentina's historic World Cup triumph in Qatar in 2022. His top-10 finishes now run through 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2026.