PSG Stars Wear Gold-Tinted Special Kit vs Monaco in Honour of Lionel Messi's 7th Ballon d'Or

• PSG vs Monaco Ligue 1 clash saw the French giants don special kits in tribute to Lionel Messi
• The kits retained PSG's home colours, with gold numbers and lettering on the back
• Mauricio Pochettino won the tie 2-0 as Kylian Mbappe starred with both goals

Paris Saint-Germain have paid tribute to Lionel Messi with a gold-tinted kit to celebrate his seventh Ballon d'Or triumph.

The French giants sported the special kit during their Ligue 1 meeting with Monaco at the weekend at Parc des Princes.

They went on to secure a 2-0 crucial win over their opponents, with Kylian Mbappe starring with his 10th goal in 10 games.

The victory saw PSG extend their lead at the top to 13 points, doing that in the glitzy shirts which retained PSG's iconic home colours with the back writings changed from white to gold.

SunSport reports the move was in honour of Messi who recently conquered the football stage when he claimed his record-extending seventh Ballon d'Or.

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The Barca legend saw off stiff competition from Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski, Chelsea pair N'Golo Kante and Jorginho and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema to win the 2021 edition of the award.

Fans remain divided on whether the 34-year-old deserved to win the gong, with many suggesting Lewandowski should have won it after a stellar 2021.

The Pole has continued with his fine form this season, having already scored 27 goals in 23 appearances.

However, his efforts were only able to earn him a second-place finish in the power rankings, with Jorginho completing the top three slots.

But speaking on his triumph, Messi said he was proud to be named the world's best, describing the victory as "incredible."

Guardiola blasts Messi’s critics

TUKO.co.ke earlier reported that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has expressed disappointment at critics who claim Lionel Messi should not have been awarded the 2021 Ballon d’Or.

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Guardiola, who managed Messi during their time at Spanish club Barcelona insisted that no one can say it was unfair that the award went to Messi.

With Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski missing out on the coveted prize last year, many claim the Polish striker should have been handed the award.