By 
Lionel Messi has won his seventh Ballon d’Or title.
It is a record-extending win for the Paris St-Germain and Argentina forward, Messi, who now has two more titles than his arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi, 34, helped his country win the Copa America, his first international honour, and has scored 40 goals in 2021 – 28 for Barcelona, four for Paris St-Germain and eight for Argentina.
He also finished as the Spanish league’s top scorer and scored two goals as Barca won the Copa del Rey.
Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski came second, Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho was third and Real Madrid’s French striker Karim Benzema finished fourth.
The Ballon d’Or is voted for by 180 journalists from around the world, although there was no award in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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