Lionel Messi issued a parting message to Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe after beating the pair to win his eighth Ballon d'Or trophy on Monday night.
The Argentina superstar has now extended his record for the most Ballon d'Or wins, with his tally of eight being three awards better than the second-most decorated winner of the prize, Cristiano Ronaldo.
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There was quite some debate over who would win it between Messi and Haaland, in particular, with the Norwegian having scored a stunning 52 goals in 53 games for Manchester City last season, inspiring the side to their first-ever UEFA Champions League crown.
However, Messi's triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with the Albiceleste seems to have taken a more spectacular prominence in the minds of voters, with there being reports last month already claiming the 36-year-old would indeed be the winner.
With Haaland and Mbappe voted second and third for the 2023 Golden Ball, respectively, Messi has since made his thoughts quite clear on the two players' prospects as future Ballon d'Or champions.
"Haaland and Mbappe will win the Ballon d'Or one day," he said in his acceptance speech, according to Goal.
"Erling deserved it very much too, he has won the Premier League, and Champions League while being the top scorer of everything. This award could have been yours today too. I’m sure in the next years you will win it.
"... They are two extraordinary players. I shared two years in the same club (at Paris Saint-Germain) with Kylian Mbappe. I know his talent, his immense talent.
"He is a player still very young. Both are still young. In the future, we will find them again. Haaland also has an extraordinary career.
"I am convinced that they will also be winners of the Ballon d'Or very soon."
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