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Argentina captain Lionel Messi won a record eighth Ballon d\u2019Or for the best player in the world on Monday, beating Norway\u2019s UEFA player of the year and Treble winner<\/a> Erling Haaland of Manchester City to the prestigious prize.<\/p>\n Inter Miami\u2019s Messi, who last won the award<\/a> in 2021, played a pivotal role in guiding Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years when they beat defending<\/a> champions France in the final last year.<\/p>\n The 36-year-old is now three Ballons d\u2019Or clear of rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the last of his five trophies in 2017. Messi has now finished among the top three a record 14 times in total, finishing runner-up on five occasions.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t imagine having the career that I\u2019ve had. Everything that I\u2019ve achieved. The fortune I\u2019ve had playing for the best team in the world, the best team in history. It\u2019s nice to win these individual trophies. To win the Copa America and then the World Cup, to get it done is amazing,\u201d Messi said.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of them (Ballon d\u2019Or awards) are special for different reasons,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy to get that recognition that I\u2019m getting thanks to what we have achieved with the national team,\u201d Messi told Reuters<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis (World Cup) title we had been aiming for for so many years makes it even more special,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Asked if he would carry on until the 2026 World Cup, Messi said: \u201cI don\u2019t think about it. I\u2019ll enjoy (my career) day by day. There will first be the Copa America in the United States (in 2024). (The World Cup), I don\u2019t think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier, Messi\u2019s World Cup-winning teammate Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin Award for the world\u2019s best goalkeeper.<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s Women\u2019s World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women\u2019s Ballon d\u2019Or.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an individual trophy but it can\u2019t exist without a team,\u201d she told reporters.<\/p>\n Messi, who won his first Ballon d\u2019Or in 2009 and claimed four in a row until 2012, finished second to Haaland at the UEFA awards in August.<\/p>\n Haaland, 23, was one of the firm favourites for his first Ballon d\u2019Or after scoring 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions last season as City won the Champions League<\/a>, Premier League<\/a> and FA Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Argentina\u2019s magical run at the World Cup in Qatar, where Messi earned the Golden Ball for best overall player and Silver Boot (seven goals and three assists), helped him pip the Norwegian striker to the award.<\/p>\n The World Cup was the only major trophy missing from Messi\u2019s resume as Argentina made amends for losing<\/a> the 2014 final to Germany while in March he became only the third player in history to score 100 international goals.<\/p>\n