Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time in his career at a star-studded ceremony in Paris on Monday.

Messi, 36, succeeds Karim Benzema as winner of the prize, awarded for his performances last season, when he inspired Argentina to glory at the World Cup.

It was his displays in Qatar, when Messi dragged his country to a victory that crowned his remarkable career, that allowed Messi to see off stiff competition from Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in particular.

Haaland came second in the final voting, with Mbappe third and Kevin De Bruyne in fourth place.

Former Barcelona superstar Messi scored seven times at the World Cup and was named the tournament’s best player after Argentina beat France on penalties in the final in Doha.

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