How many times was Lionel Messi nominated for Ballon d’Or?

The Ballon d’Or is often considered the most coveted award in football. The Argentine superstar, Lionel Messi can boast of being the player with the most Ballon d’Or, so let’s find out the number of times he has won it, the year, and his age of him at that time.

The Ballon d’Or award, created by writer Gabriel Hanot of France Football magazine, is generally considered the most prestigious trophy in football. The “Golden Ball” trophy was awarded to the best European player each year between 1956 and 1995 before regulations were changed to allow any football player based in Europe to compete.

In 2007, the award was expanded to include players from around the world, before merging with rival FIFA’s Player of the Year award in 2010. In 2016, the two trophies were split again, with FIFA establishing its own “The Best”. but the Ballon d’Or, which is voted for by journalists around the world, is still largely seen as the pinnacle.

Two Spanish teams, Barcelona and Real Madrid lead the list of most champions with twelve and eleven trophies, respectively. Lionel Messi holds the record for the most wins with his seventh award is 2021, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five (one with Manchester United and four with Real Madrid).

Lionel Messi: List of Ballon d’Or awards by years and age

Lionel Messi won his first Ballon d’Or at the age of 22 in 2009. After three successful seasons, the Argentine became the first player to win the Ballon d’Or four times in a row, becoming the first player to do so. He established himself as Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer during the 2011/12 season, setting European and La Liga records for most goals scored in a single season.

Messi finished second in the Ballon d’Or the following two seasons behind Cristiano Ronaldo (his supposed career rival), before resuming his best form in the 2014/15 season, becoming the all-time top scorer in La Liga. and leading Barcelona to a historic second treble.

As a result, he received his fifth Ballon d’Or in 2015. In 2018, Messi was named Barcelona’s captain and won an unprecedented sixth Ballon d’Or the following year. Two years later, he received the award for the seventh time.

Ballon d’Or awards	Year	Messi’s age at the time
1.	2009	22
2.	2010	23
3.	2011	24
4.	2012	25
5.	2015	28
6.	2019	32
7.	2021	34