The award, usually designated for one of the best participant on this planet, acknowledes the accomplishments of soccer gamers on a world scale.

In a press convention hosted by Inter Miami on Thursday, Messi addressed his affiliation with the award. Rather than emphasising his personal victories, Messi shared an altered perspective on the award, influenced by his transition in the direction of aims centred round workforce efficiency.

"I have said it many times, the Ballon d'Or is very important due to the recognition at an individual level, but I never gave it importance," stated Messi. "Because the most important thing for me was always the prizes at the group level."

"I was lucky to have achieved everything in my career, and after the World Cup, I'm thinking about that award much less; my biggest award was that, and I'm disguising my moment. If it arrives well, nothing happens. I was lucky to achieve all my goals in my career, and now I have new goals with this club."

Kaka alone is the only participant in MLS historical past to attain each a Ballon d'Or and a World Cup triumph. Notably, Kaka secured his World Cup victory in 2002, whereas his Ballon d'Or accolade adopted in 2007—seven years previous to his inaugural look with Orlando.

In distinction, Lionel Messi clinched his most up-to-date Ballon d'Or distinction in 2021 and later secured a World Cup victory in December 2022. Should he safe the award as soon as once more, Messi would make historical past as the primary lively MLS participant to be honoured with the award.

Online sportsbooks have positioned Messi because the frontrunner for the award. His odds have surged following his pivotal function in steering his workforce to a World Cup triumph and securing victory in Ligue 1 whereas enjoying for PSG. Below is a breakdown of how the chances for the Argentine worldwide evaluate to these of different international contenders, according to Gambling.com.

Lionel Messi (Inter Miami): 1/6

Erling Haaland (Manchester City): 9/1

Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid): 40/1

Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City): 40/1

Rodri (Manchester City) 50/1

Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona): 66/1

Kylain Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain): 66/1

Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad): 80/1

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli): 200/1

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid): 200/1

Harry Kane: (Bayern Munich): 250/1

Messi can also be getting ready to increasing his trophy assortment lower than a month after becoming a member of Inter Miami. The 36-year-old netted his ninth purpose in six matches, pushing his workforce to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Union within the semi-finals.

Inter Miami will face off towards Nashville FC within the upcoming Leagues Cup last. The extremely anticipated match is slated for Saturday, August 19, with the kick-off scheduled for 9pm ET / 2am GMT Sunday.