After finishing third in 2007 and second in 2008, Messi won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009, before going on to win the award for the following three successive years., The Ballon d’Or — football’s most prestigious individual honor — has been awarded annually by France Football since 1956 to the world’s best player. Over the decades, it has celebrated legends such as Johan Cruyff, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi, recognizing their extraordinary impact on the game. Originally limited to European players, the award expanded its , Messi picked up his first Ballon d’Or in 2009, the last time the traditional award was presented before it briefly merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award. Messi polled 473, On December 1, 2009, Leo Messi was crowned as the best player in the world for the first time when he won the Ballon d'Or. At only 22, he led the team during a historic year for Barça, in, Messi and Ronaldo shared the Ballon d'Or between themselves from 2008-2017 France Football's top prize became synonymous with the epic Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry that defined the, Lionel Messi won his first Ballon d’Or at the age of 22 in 2009. After three successful seasons, the Argentine became the first player to win the Ballon d’Or four times in a row, making him the first player to do so..