Messi eligible for Ballon d'Or at 39, organisers officially confirm

Lionel Messi, 39 years old and Inter Miami player, is officially eligible for the Ballon d’Or. The trophy organisers confirmed this the day after the World Cup semi-final, where the Argentine shone in victory against England (2-1).

The question of eligibility for players competing outside Europe has a long history. At its creation, the Ballon d’Or was reserved solely for European players competing on the Old Continent — which deprived Pelé and Diego Maradona of any chance of winning it. In 1995, the list of contenders was expanded to players of all nationalities competing in a European club: George Weah (Liberia) became its first non-European winner, followed two years later by Ronaldo (Brazil).

It was in 2007 that the last geographical restrictions were removed, opening the trophy to the world’s best player regardless of their league. A recent precedent illustrates this rule concretely: Messi was already playing for Inter Miami on 30 October 2023 when he received his eighth Ballon d’Or, even though he had spent most of the season in question at PSG.

To illustrate its article on the subject, the Ballon d’Or chose a photo of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Al-Nassr striker, another player competing outside Europe. But if the question is being raised publicly today, it is precisely because Messi, in the event of Argentina winning the World Cup, would be in a position to pursue a ninth individual trophy.