Lionel Messi was photographed with a new haircut in Miami before flying to Paris for the Ballon d’Or presentation on Monday when he is poised to win soccer’s most prestigious award for a record eighth time.

On Sunday, the 36-year-old World Cup winner posed for a selfie with his barber, Luis Andres Rivera, while showing off his new haircut with his hands in his pockets in Vice City.

Lionel Messi posed for a selfie in Miami with his barber (R) before leaving for Europe on Sunday

The 36-year-old Argentina captain is predicted to win his eighth Ballon d’Or in Paris, Monday

Rivera posted on Instagram, “Dropping off the biggest [G.O.A.T] @leomessi off ready for tomorrow.” ‘Special day when he will win his [Ballon d’Or] number 8 in the name of God.

‘Thank you, Leo, for always believing in me and providing me the opportunity to make probably the greatest cut of my career.

‘IT WILL BE SEEN ALL OVER THE WORLD.’

Earlier in the day, Messi was spotted in Naples, Florida, with his wife, Antonela, and his ex-Navy SEAL bodyguard, but not with his three children, Mateo, 10, Thiago, 7, and Ciro, 5.

Nobody else in history has won more than five of Messi’s seven Ballon d’Or.

Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, stated earlier this month that both his top players, Erling Haaland and Messi, deserve the trophy.

‘I always felt the Ballon d’Or should be divided into two sections, one for Messi and one for everyone else,’ said Guardiola, who coached Messi at Barcelona.

It will be Messi’s 14th appearance in the top three of the voting, breaking yet another record. He won it while playing for Barcelona, he won it while playing for Paris Saint-Germain, and now he’ll likely win it while playing for Inter Miami, making him the first MLS player to do so.

‘It’s a delight to play with him on the pitch and share moments with him,’ said Jordi Alba, a longtime Messi teammate who joined him at Inter Miami.

Messi’s first season – or first half-season – in Miami was a stunning success in many ways, but a disappointment in others. Messi led the club to its first prize, the League Cup triumph (and, although wearing the captain’s armband, he let Yedlin, the former captain, carry that trophy in a reference to that humility teammates speak of).

Nobody other player has won more than five of Messi’ seven Ballon d’Or’s throughout history

Attendance surged, Inter Miami’s social media footprint skyrocketed, Apple TV viewership was expected to jump, and Messi’s No. 10 jersey became the biggest seller in MLS.

He earns between $50 and $60 million per season with Inter Miami, and the revenue streams allow him to do so. (Ticket prices for the 2024 season are also significantly higher, much to the anger of many fans.)

However, injuries, wear and tear all took their toll, which was probably compounded by Inter Miami having to play so many Leagues Cup matches. (‘It was incredibly difficult for us to play every three days, with travel and training,’ Messi said.)

A leg injury prompted Messi to miss much of the late-season team’s MLS schedule, and the club narrowly missed the league playoffs, though to be fair, the club was already out of the postseason picture when Messi arrived in July.

They’re already planning for 2024, with a pair of displays in China scheduled for early November. And as the calendar turns to a new year, Inter Miami will be expected to win every prize it competes for, including the MLS Cup, Leagues Cup, US Open Cup, and CONCACAF Champions Cup.

‘I’ll enjoy the holidays in Argentina for the first time, in peace with my people,’ Messi said to media following an Argentina encounter earlier this month. ‘And then I’ll come back, preseason, start from scratch, and prepare for the greatest potential outcomes, like always,’ says the player.