Reports say that Lionel Messi will win his eighth Ballon d’Or later this month. The World Cup winner will be the first player from a league outside of Europe’s top flight to win the prestigious award.  

The Argentine’s eighth prize makes him the most decorated winner of the award. The 36-year-old will also win the Ballon d’Or again after Karim Benzema of Al-Ittihad won it in 2022. 

For a long time, the former Barcelona star has been the favorite to win the top award at the event in Paris at the end of October. He led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Messi moved from Europe to Major League Soccer (MLS) after winning football’s most prestigious event. He joined David Beckham’s Inter Miami team during the summer transfer window. 

Getting Messi changed the team’s prospects in the middle of the season. The playmaker’s immediate impact helped the team rise from the bottom of the league to win its first Leagues Cup. Inter Miami also made it to the final of the US Open Cup, but Houston Dynamo FC beat them because their star player got hurt and couldn’t play. 

For women, Aitana Bonmati is expected to win the award, according to the Spanish news outlet SPORT. Bonmati was a key part of Spain’s amazing Women’s World Cup win in Australia. The Barcelona defender won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award in September and was named the World Cup’s Player of the Tournament after Spain beat England in the final in August. 

Bonmati will be the second Barcelona star in a row to win the Ballon d’Or. Last year, her teammate and fellow countrywoman Alexia Putellas won the award. 

Messi has strong ties to Barcelona, so the event will have a “made in Catalonia” feel. However, fans will have to wait a little longer to see both Ballon d’Or winners play for the same team in the same season. 

It was said last week that Messi was hoping to get a loan move back to the Catalan club during the off-season for MLS teams. 

The player is instead going to focus on his commitments to Miami and Argentina as he gets ready for his first full season with his home club’s pink jersey. 

Inter Miami has agreed to play matches against two Chinese Super League teams in November. They will go to China because they failed to make the playoffs. 

The team will play Qingdao Hainiu FC at the beginning of the month. On November 8, they will go to Chengdu to play Chengdu Rongcheng.