Lionel Messi could potentially secure a historic ninth Ballon d’Or in 2026, as organizers France Football have confirmed that there are no rules barring players based outside of European leagues from contention.
In a recent piece published in the press room section of the Ballon d’Or website, organizers addressed the question of whether a player can win the award without playing for a European club.
While the article featured a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo, the context clearly pertains to Messi, who has been an MLS player for three seasons.
France Football explained the history of the award, noting that it was created in 1956 to reward the best European player in a European league. This changed in 1995 when the trophy went global, and since 2007, there have been no restrictions, with the award now honoring the best player in the world.
Messi already became the first male player to win the award while representing a non-European club when he claimed his eighth Ballon d’Or in October 2023.
However, organizers clarified that the 2023 victory was judged on his performance with Paris Saint-Germain during the 2022-2023 season, as the award criteria shifted to a seasonal calendar (August to July) in 2022.
While no player has earned a nomination while playing exclusively outside of Europe since Neymar’s inclusion while at Santos in 2011, there is a precedent for non-European based winners, such as Megan Rapinoe of Seattle Reign FC in 2019.
At 39, Messi continues to demonstrate dominant performances at the World Cup. His place on the Ballon d’Or shortlist this year is considered all but guaranteed, and he is likely to claim a third Golden Ball for Player of the Tournament. Should he inspire Argentina to glory in the final against Spain, he will be the leading contender for a ninth award.
In other developments, Lionel Scaloni has hailed Argentina’s fightback as the holders reached the final to face Spain. Additionally, Messi gave his jersey to Tottenham Hotspur star Djed Spence after their recent game, and the origin of the iconic photo of Messi cradling Lamine Yamal has been highlighted.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham has explained a heated exchange with Messi during the World Cup semi-final, and analysts are currently predicting which clubs the summer's biggest free agents will sign for.
Finally, the Premier League has issued a statement explaining why Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison was not awarded a penalty during a draw against Leeds.
Funnily enough, they’ve stuck a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo as the article’s featured picture – either in a bid to appease his army of online acolytes, or simply being cheeky – but we all really know who that question pertains to.
There is a key bit of context missing there, though, namely that everything in the eligibility period that year was before he signed for Inter Miami.
