Lionel Messi Inspires Inter Miami Academy After Sharing Ballon D'Or With Players: Video

• Lionel Messi has presented his Ballon d'Or to Inter Miami Academy
• The Argentina forward won the award for the eighth time
• Messi took the opportunity to inspire the young players

Lionel Messi presented his Ballon d'Or to players of Inter Miami Academy as he inspired them to strive for greatness after winning the award for a record eighth time.

The Argentina and Inter Miami forward beat competition from Manchester City's treble winner Erling Haaland and former Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Kylian Mbappe, to win the accolade at the 67th award ceremony in Paris.

Messi was given a heroic welcome by his Inter Miami teammates following his return to the United States.

In a video shared on social media, the former Barcelona star spent time with the youth teams of Inter Miami as he presented the award to the players as a source of inspiration for their goals.

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The young players chanted and sang Messi's name as he arrived with the gong. Messi also took pictures with the aspiring footballers.

The ex-PSG forward enjoyed a stellar year in retrospect, leading Argentina to a World Cup triumph in 2022, scoring a brace in the final against France.

He also won the Ligue 1 title before joining Inter Miami in the summer transfer window, where he led them to Leagues Cup success, as reported by CNN.

Inter Miami players welcome Messi

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Lionel Messi received heroes welcome from Inter Miami players following his return from Paris after winning his eighth Ballon d'Or title.

The Argentina star beat off competition from Manchester City forward, Erling Haaland and former Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Kylian Mbappe, to win the 2023 award.

Messi's inspiring role in leading Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup gave him the edge over his rivals at the ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet.

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Messi beats Haaland and Mbappe to win Ballon d'Or

Sports Brief also reported that 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 the 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.