Lionel Messi became the winner of the Golden Ball of 2021

22:35 UPDATED ABOUT MESSI’S REACTION

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The 34-year-old Messi also won the poll in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and most recently in 2019. In the summer, he led Argentina to the title at the Copa America South American Championship. He thus won the first big trophy with the national team and also won the prize for the best player of the tournament and a golden football from the championship. In the summer he transferred from FC Barcelona to Paris St. Germain. In 2021, Messi scored a total of 41 goals and 17 assists in 56 matches for clubs and national teams. He also won the Royal Cup with Barcelona.

“It’s unbelievable to be here again. Two years ago I thought it was my last victory and now I’m standing here again. I’m extremely happy, excited and I want to fight new challenges. I don’t know how much time I have left, but I hope that I will like to thank my teammates from Barcelona and PSG and especially from the national team.

I felt that I was missing something and this year it came true. Much of today’s victory is for what we have achieved at Copa America, so thank you to your teammates, this is yours. My wife, children, father and mother came to support me here. It was a great honor for me to fight Robert. You were the winner last year and I think France Football should have given you the prize, “ quoted Messi’s Evening Standard.

Lewandowski, who scored a record 41 goals in the Bundesliga last season, was the favorite to win the French Football magazine’s 2020 award, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the poll did not take place last year. This time he finished second. The third Jorginho won up to two valuable trophies during the year – with FC Chelsea he won the Champions League and was one of the mainstays of the “squadry azzurra”, which he helped to win the European title.

Messi received 613 points in the vote, Lewandowski 580 and Jorginho 460. The fourth Frenchman Karim Benzema from Real Madrid received 239 and his compatriot N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) 186 votes. Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus Turin, Manchester United), Egyptian Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Belgian Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), another Frenchman Kylian Mbappe (PSG) and Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan, PSG) finished next.

The Raymond Kopa Award for the best under-21 football player went to FC Barcelona Pedri, a 19-year-old Spanish national team player and midfielder. For the first time, they awarded the prize for the best striker, which was taken over by the canon of Bayern Lewandowski. Gianluigi Donnarumma, who left AC Milan for Paris Saint Germain in the summer, earned the Lev Jašin Award for the best goalkeeper. The 22-year-old Italian was the hero of the EURO 2020 final, when he caught his country’s triumph in a penalty shootout and was declared the tournament player as the first goalkeeper.

Among the women, the Spaniard Alexia Putellas won the Golden Ball, who as a captain led FC Barcelona to a triumph in the Champions League. In the vote for the best club of the year, London’s Chelsea won, in addition to the triumph in the Champions League, she is currently leading the Premier League.