Antonella Roccuzzo, Lionel Messi’s wife, was overcome with emotion as she watched her three sons join their iconic father on stage after he collected his eighth Ballon d’Or prize.

The Inter Miami player won the accolade over Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe.

Messi, who won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year, celebrated with his children.

Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro were not left out as they bravely walked on stage to celebrate with Messi in a video that has since become popular on social media.

The former Barcelona attacker dedicated the medal to late Argentina star Diego Maradona while appreciating Mbappe and Haaland’s competition.

“Today, I’d like to bring up Diego.” There’s no better location to wish him a happy birthday than among so many football fans, as he requested. Diego, wherever you are, happy birthday. This trophy is also for you,” he stated, as reported by Forbes.com.

“Erling deserves it as well; he has won the Premier League and the Champions League while being the top scorer in all competitions.” This honor could have been yours as well today. “I’m confident you’ll win it in the coming years,” he added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last season, Messi won Ligue 1 before heading to the United States to lead Inter Miami to a League Cup victory.

Messi has won eight Ballon d’Or awards.

Lionel Messi won the eighth Ballon d’Or of his incredible career on Monday at a glitzy ceremony in Paris, while Spain’s World Cup-winning sensation Aitana Bonmati received the women’s accolade.

The award honors, above all, Messi’s remarkable achievements at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, where he led Argentina to victory, scoring seven goals and was named the tournament’s best player.

It was the pinnacle of his incredible career, and it enabled him to overcome difficult competition, particularly from Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, to accept the award on the stage of Paris’ Chatelet Theatre.