As Lionel Messi won his record-breaking eighth Ballon d’Or this year, let us have a look at his speech at the ceremony in English in 2023
Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF overcame Erling Haaland of Manchester City to win the Ballon d’Or for a record-breaking eighth time last year, following his leadership of Argentina to the World Cup.
Lionel Messi Ballon d’Or 2023 speech translation in English and what did he say after winning number 6
This prestigious trophy mostly recognises Messi’s outstanding performance during the World Cup in Qatar the previous year. He was declared the competition’s most outstanding player after scoring seven goals to help Argentina win.
In honour of the late Diego Maradona of Argentina, who would have turned sixty-three on Monday, Messi dedicated the trophy to him. The 36-year-old Inter Miami star took home his first Ballon d’Or award in 2009. He now has eight, three more than the next most decorated player in the history of the trophy, his former rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Owner of Inter Miami David Beckham, who was asked to give the honour this year, handed the trophy to Messi and the former FC Barcelona star obviously gave an iconic speech after receiving the prestigious award.
The eight time Ballon d’Or winner started with greeting everyone. “Good evening”. He then thanked the ones who voted for him. He said:
First of all, I want to thank the people who voted, who selected me as the winner of this award. I obviously share this with my teammates from the Argentina national team — we are here representing everything that’s been achieved thanks to them. I believe that this is a gift for the entire group, the entire coaching staff, and for all the people of Argentina.
He also acknowledged the greatness of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. The Worldcyp winner overcame Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain and Erling Haaland of Manchester City to take home the trophy. He said:
“I don’t want to forget to mention Erling [Haaland] and Kylian [Mbappe], they had a great year, an incredible year, both individually and collectively. It was spectacular to watch them achieve everything they did, and I have no doubt that in the coming years they are going to win this prize.
He continued:
“I see a lot of young people here. I have no doubt that I am going to enjoy good football for a long time because of these types of players. I am lucky to have been at this ceremony for many years, and as the players keep changing and evolving, the level never drops, so we are going to continue enjoying it for many years.
“I want to make special mention to those who have followed me throughout my career, because of how they experienced this World Cup. The desire they had for me to be world champion so that I can achieve my dream, the only one which I was missing… It was thanks to God that I received a lot of love, which was very special as many people of different nationalities wanted Argentina to be world champions.
💬 The speech of the 2023 Ballon d'Or winner, Lionel Messi #ballondor pic.twitter.com/HRaNdRwclG
— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@ballondor) October 30, 2023
Messi later thanked his newly joined team, Inter Miami and his international side Argentina. He also thanked his wife and his children who also were present there watching him win his eighth Ballon d’Or trophy. He said:
I want to share and thank my families, the fans who are in Argentina and those in Miami, and of course my personal family, my wife and children once again.”
The Argentine was asked about his retirement plans by Didier Drogba and Sandy Heribert, the hosts, to which he replied:
As long as I can continue competing, I’m going to continue doing it. I can’t say a number because I don’t know what can happen tomorrow. I hope it’s a long time. It’s what I know how to do. I hope it continues to last.”
Following his victory in the FIFA World Cup championship in Qatar the year before, the 36-year-old enjoyed an incredible season. Messi scored 32 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions. He helped PSG win the Ligue 1 title in 2023–2023 and guided Inter Miami to this year’s Leagues Cup success.