Paris: Lionel Messi won the men’s Ballon d’Or for a record seventh time and Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or on Tuesday.
“Today I’m here in Paris. I am very happy, really very happy, I really want to continue to fight and reach new objectives. I don’t know how many more years but I am really enjoying myself. I thank my team-mates at Barça, Paris & Argentina,” Messi said after receiving the award.
He also won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and in 2015. The 34-year-old scored 38 goals in 48 games last season for Barcelona and won the Copa del Rey before captaining Argentina to Copa America glory in July. That was the first major international title of his glittering career, which had been spent entirely with Barcelona before his tearful departure from the Camp Nou in August and subsequent move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The 27-year-old midfielder Putellas won the award for the first time after helping Barca win the treble and scored 26 goals in 42 games overall. She netted in the Champions League final against Chelsea, and in August she was named UEFA women’s player of the year.
“I’m very emotional, it’s a very special moment,” she said at the Paris ceremony through a translator. “I would like to start by thanking all my teammates, especially my current (Barcelona) teammates. For me it’s a collective success.”
