New MLS and Inter Miami signing Lionel Messi has claimed that he doesn't care about winning the Ballon d’Or anymore.

How many times has Messi won the Ballon d’Or?

The Argentine has won the personal accolade on seven different occasions between 2009 and 2021, with old adversary Cristiano Ronaldo second on the all-time list with five awards to his name.

This combined with the fact that he has now essentially completed football – having won the 2022 World Cup last winter – means many feel as though Messi is the greatest footballer of all time.

And at 35 years of age, it appears as though we are sadly coming towards the very end of his career as the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain man has decided to leave the European game and head to America.

Even so, he departs having still delivered the goods over the past season, most notably with Argentina in Qatar, and so could possibly win the Ballon d’Or for pulling off such a remarkable achievement.

However, it seems as though Messi is not particularly interested in the prize anymore as he made clear in a recent interview (via @AlbicelesteTalk on Twitter).

|ndeed, he told the press: "Does Ballon d’Or matter to me? No, at this stage in my life, it is no longer important to me.

"I’ve always said, the individual prizes are not what matters to me, but the collective ones are the most important to me. The most important prize at the moment is the World Cup. This is the greatest prize for me."

Who will win the 2023 Ballon d’Or?

Unsurprisingly, Messi clearly cherishes his World Cup win above anything else he's achieved on a personal level over the course of his career.

Even so, his numerous Ballon d’Or wins will help future generations understand just how special he was as a player. With that in mind, the award does still hold real value and it will be interesting to see who it will go to win it in 2023, if not Messi.

As per Goal, they still rank the Argentine as the favourite at this moment in time. After that, Erling Haaland of Manchester City – with 53 goals, nine assists, a Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup under his belt – is in second.

While Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Kevin De Bruyne make up the rest of the top five.