Lionel Messi might struggle to win the normal Ballon d’Or at the ceremony in London in October – even if Argentina secure a second successive World Cup this summer.
The South American did not even finish in the top 30 last time out as his former Barcelona teammate Ousmane Dembele was named the greatest player on the planet, having scored 35 goals and assisted another 16 in 53 games to help PSG win the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.
Messi was harmed by the fact he plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer – and therefore cannot compete for the UEFA Champions League – but the Argentina international should still secure the prestigious Super Ballon d’Or if France Football opt to release another edition of the rare prize.
What is the Super Ballon d’Or?
The Ballon d’Or is a yearly award presented by France Football – but only once in history have the organisation handed out a Super Ballon d’Or.
France Football decided to create the Super Ballon d’Or to recognise the greatest footballer of the past three decades, awarding the unique trophy to Alfredo Di Stefano back in December 1989. That decision was made by France Football judges and also through votes from former Ballon d’Or winners.
You could only be eligible to win the Super Ballon d’Or if you had won the normal Ballon d’Or on multiple occasions.
For years, the Super Ballon d’Or trophy was on display inside the Real Madrid museum at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
However, the current location of the trophy is unknown, after Di Stefano’s children allegedly auctioned off his rare prize to a collector in 2021 for the sum of £187,500.
The Real Madrid legend beat Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini to the Super Ballon d’Or – the Dutchman and the Frenchman finished second and third in the voting respectively.
It was an award made only for European players at the time, which is why the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona were not named in the running.
Di Stefano was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but managed to win the award thanks to his Spanish passport.
It is unclear whether France Football would stick to having the Super Ballon d’Or reserved only for European players if they decided to release another edition of the prize – but we highly doubt there would be such discrimination in the modern era.
The official Ballon d’Or account on X (previously known as Twitter) teased the prospect of another Super Ballon d’Or back in June 2025 by asking their followers to select a hypothetical winner.
Why Lionel Messi deserves the Super Ballon d’Or
With all due respect to Di Stefano, Messi – who faces Algeria in his first game of the 2026 World Cup – has completely and utterly dwarfed his achievements across the last three decades.
Since making his competitive debut for Barcelona in October 2004 at the age of 17, the Inter Miami No.10 has remarkably won the UEFA Champions League on four occasions, along with one World Cup, ten La Liga titles and eight Ballon d’Or trophies – as well as plenty more silverware, made up of both personal accomplishments and team successes.
Individually, Messi – who left a journalist delighted with a lovely gesture ahead of the 2026 World Cup – has scored 800 goals and provided 390 assists in 979 appearances at club level, along with 117 goals in 199 games for Argentina at the time of writing.
Di Stefano did win five consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid, but won just two Ballon d’Or trophies in comparison to Messi – also recording fewer goal involvements by netting 321 times in 449 games at club level.
There are rumours that France Football could unveil another Super Ballon d’Or in 2029 – 40 years after Di Stefano’s success in 1989.
If that does happen, it will surely have Messi’s name all over it.
