Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi admitted his eighth Ballon d'Or prize will be his last - but stopped short of giving any concrete details about retiring.
The 36-year-old became the oldest player to be named the world's best player in 67 years at this year's ceremony in Paris. Arriving at the gala flanked by his wife Antonela and his three children, it appeared he was determined to savour the moment with his family.
His heroics for his beloved Argentina at last year's World Cup en route to the trophy would finally be honoured by those present at the event. However, the veteran forward was realistic when broaching the subject of whether he will grace the stage as an award winner again.
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Speaking to French outlet L'Equipe, he seemed content with his achievements, especially having finally become a world champion in Qatar last December. He admitted that the most illustrious individual prize in the sport not longer occupies his thoughts, saying: "[I] stopped thinking about the Ballon d'Or. I think it’s my last Ballon d'Or. And I'm happy to have achieved everything I've achieved and to be the only player with eight Ballon d'Ors. And that's all."
Of course, the past year has also proven significant in Messi's life as a result of his landmark switch to Inter Miami over the summer. Having departed Europe for the first time in his club career, however, the legendary winger appears to be keeping open minded about his long-term future in the game.
The former Barcelona hero still represents his country despite his advancing years, although he would pick up an injury while on international duty in September. His season would then be beset with fitness issues, with missing five MLS games on his return to the US.
Messi claimed the eighth Ballon d'Or of his career and is determined to carry on playing (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)Despite his injury woes towards the backend of his first campaign with the Herons, he still remains buoyant in terms of his ability to play for years to come yet. While he was unable to put any timings on how long he can continue to operate at the peak of his powers, he said: "I want to play for a very long time. We'll have to see how I feel physically. I can't give a date. Things change from one day to the next. But I hope it will last a very long time. for a long time, because that's what I love doing."
Messi did appear to be handing over the baton to his younger competitors in his speech after receiving his prize at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. In magnanimous mood, he admitted: "I don't want to forget Haaland or Mbappe, who had a great year, spectacular, and in the coming years they will win this award.
Later on in his address, he added: "It's going to be a nice fight between the two of them and between several other younger players around here. They both deserved it this year. Erling [Haaland], this could have been yours and it would have felt perfect."
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