Guinness World Records Confirms Lionel Messi’s Record Tally After 8th Ballon d’Or Victory

• Lionel Messi has won his 8th Ballon d’Or, extending his record for most wins of the prize
• The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner held the record since 2012 when he initially shared it with three others
• The Guinness World Records confirms that Messi has 41 records, one ahead of Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo

The Guinness World Record has congratulated Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi for his remarkable 8th Ballon d’Or feat.

Messi edged Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to extend his Ballon d’Or wins to eight, the most held by any player.

The Barcelona legend was handed the prestigious award on Monday night, October 30, at a ceremony in France, extending his record for most wins of the Ballon d’Or.

He has held the record since 2012, when he shared it with Johan Cruyff (Netherlands), Michael Platini (France) and Marco van Basten (Netherlands), who had each won three times.

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The former Paris Saint-Germain playmaker then claimed the record for himself in 2013 to win his fourth Ballon d’Or title, and then won it in 2016, 2019, 2021 and now again in 2023.

The Ballon is arguably the biggest individual award in world football, and it is presented to the best player of the previous season.

The player with the most wins of the Ballon d’Or is just one of many records Messi has earned so far in his staggering footballing career.

The Guinness World Records, in a statement, says Messi has 41 records, one ahead of Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo. The platform added:

“To name just a few, he (Messi) has records for the most FIFA World Cup matches played in by an individual with 26, the most hat-tricks in a La Liga career with 36, and he became the youngest player to score 50 goals in the UEFA Champions League in 2012 when he was 24.”

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Having netted 672 goals in sixteen years for Spanish club Barcelona, Messi also holds the record of the player with the most goals for a single club.

When GWR honoured Cristiano Ronaldo

Sports Brief earlier reported that Cristiano Ronaldo's extraordinary achievement of reaching 200 international caps for Portugal was recognised and honoured by Guinness World Records.

The Al-Nassr superstar accomplished this remarkable feat during Portugal's Euro 2024 Qualifiers match against Iceland on Tuesday, June 20.

As a tribute to his historic accomplishment, Ronaldo was presented with an official certificate by Guinness World Records, recognising him as a record holder.