Lionel Messi won the men's Ballon d'Or for the seventh time.
Messi, who left Barcelona as a free agent to sign for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, was presented with the award for best men's footballer in the world on Monday night in Paris after another record-breaking 12 months for club and country.
In July, he ended his long wait for a major international trophy when Argentina won the Copa America.
The Golden Boot went to Messi after he scored four goals and assisted five others.
Messi scored twice in the final of the Copa del Rey to win his 34th and final trophy with Barcelona.
Lionel Messi collected the trophy after Barcelona's win.
Last year's award was canceled because of Covid, but the previous winner was the forward from Paris Saint-Germain. Messi won the Ballon d'Or five times.
Robert Lewandowski, who was the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or in 2020, came second in the vote.
The Club World Cup was won by Robert Lewandowski.
Since the start of last season, Robert Lewandowski has scored 73 goals in just 60 games for the club, and has won two awards.
The analysis shows that Messi was still very special in 2021.
Sky Sports football writer.
Lionel Messi finally won an international trophy for Argentina. He had a gold medal. His inability to inspire the senior side to go all the way at a tournament was the reason for that.
Messi was in Brazil. He was the top scorer with four goals and also had five assists. He scored the third goal of the quarter-final against Ecuador after setting up each of the first two.
More than were scored by everyone at Euro 2020 combined, that free-kick was scored by Messi. He scored 15 goals from outside the penalty box. Other qualities have come to the fore as his pace deserts him.
His form for Barcelona during the first half of the year should not be forgotten. He scored 28 goals in 29 games, including two in a man-of-the-match performance to win the Copa del Rey. The team wasn't functioning at its best, but he was still remarkable.
There was still a solo goal in the win over Manchester City and two more in the win over RB Leipzig, despite Messi making a less compelling case since moving to Paris. He had three assists in the win over Saint Etienne.
It's natural to sympathize with Robert Lewandowski, a victim of that curious decision not to present an award in 2020. The era of Messi has made it difficult for men to chase individual prizes.
There is a sense of exhaustion for some people when he wins the Ballon d'Or for a seventh time. He can hardly be held back. The Messi of a decade ago was superior to the Messi of today. There has been no better man in the year 2021.
The men's Ballon d'Or will be decided in 2021.
Lionel Messi is from Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
Robert Lewandowski is a player forBayern Munich and Poland.
Jorginho is from Italy.
Benzema is from Real Madrid and France.
N'Golo Kante is from France.
There is a player from Manchester United and Portugal.
There are 7 people, one of them is Mohamed Salah from the Reds and the Egyptians.
Kevin De Bruyne is from Manchester City.
Kylian Mbappe is from Paris Saint-Germain.
Paris Saint-Germain and Italy have a similar name, Gianluigi Donarumma.
Erling Haaland is fromBorussia Dortmund and Norway.
Romelu Lukaku is from Belgium.
Giorgio Chiellini is from Italy.
Leonardo Bonucci is from Italy.
The man is from Manchester City and England.
Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil have a player named Neymar.
Luis Suarez is from Atletico Madrid.
Simon Kjaer is from AC Milan.
Mason Mount is from England.
RIYAD MAHRE is a player for Manchester City and Algeria.
Bruno Fernandes is from Manchester United.
Lautaro Martinez is from Inter Milan and Argentina.
Harry Kane is from England.
Pedri is located in Barcelona and Spain.
Phil Foden is from Manchester City.
Nicolo Barella is from Italy.
Ruben Dias is from Manchester City.
The person is Gerard Moreno (Villarreal & Spain).
Cesar Azpilicueta is from Spain.
Luka Modric is a player for Real Madrid and Croatia.
