Lionel Messi Picks One Current Barcelona Player That Could Win Ballon d’Or in Future

• Lionel Messi won his 8th Ballon d'Or on Monday, beating Erling Haaland
• The Inter Miami and Argentina star tipped several players to win the award in the future
• Barcelona's Lamine Yamal was one of the players he thinks could win the award in the future

Lionel Messi won his record-extending 8th Ballon d'Or award on Monday, October 30, removing any doubt about his status as the greatest player in football history.

Interestingly, Messi was the last Barcelona player to win the award, and the Inter Miami superstar has tipped youngster Lamine Yamal to win it in the future.

The 36-year-old won six Ballon d'Or's with Barcelona and played his best football with the Catalan club. His 17-season association with Barcelona ended in 2021 as he joined PSG.

Messi and Ronaldinho are the only Barcelona players to win the award in the 21st century, but there are now a few young players who could join the two South American magicians.

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Barcelona's financial woes have prevented them from signing the best players, and they have been forced to rely on the academy, which produced players like Messi.

Messi picks Barcelona's next Ballon d'Or winner

In an interview with L’Equipe, Messi said that youngster Lamine Yamal could win the award at some point in the future.

“I also think that Lamine Yamal, who is still very young but who has already played very well with Barcelona and has become an important player,” he said, via Barca Universal.

The World Cup winner also said that PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City's Erling Haaland, two players in the top three in the 2023 Ballon d'Or, are serious candidates.

“It could be hotly contested in the coming years with players like Haaland, Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr. There are lots of young players that will fight for the Ballon d’Or,” he said.

Some fans felt Haaland deserved to win the 2023 award, and Mbappe was not far away. Therefore, those two young stars could usher in a great post-Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo era.

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Lamine Yamal is only 16 years old and has broken several records this year for both club and country. He has shown a lot of promise, and a Ballon d'Or award is within his reach.

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Lamine Yamal breaks UCL record

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Yamal etched his name in history as he became the youngest starter in UEFA Champions League history.

This remarkable achievement occurred during Barcelona's Group H match against FC Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on October 4.

Yamal achieved this remarkable feat at the tender age of 16 years and 83 days, surpassing the previous record held by Celestine Babayaro, who accomplished this milestone at the age of 16 years and 86 days in November 1994 while playing for Anderlecht.