The Ballon d’Or holds a prestigious position among the other awards in the soccer world. Often, the players who win the Ballon d’Or are the ones who have delivered the most consistent performances in the year leading up to the announcement of the winner. However, the Ballon d’Or stands next to the Super Ballon d’Or.
If there is one award that is considered even more prestigious than the Ballon d’Or, that is the prize going by the name of Super Ballon d’Or. The honor is one of the most rarest ones that is ever been awarded to a soccer player.
As per the reports, the Super Ballon d’Or was first introduced and awarded on December 24, 1989. It has only been awarded once until now. The award was helmed by the French magazine France Soccer. The iconic honor was adequately given to the foremost soccer player in the previous three decades.
Can Lionel Messi win the Super Ballon d’Or?
The Argentina international Lionel Messi recently won his eighth Ballon d’Or. The 36-year-old had a great last year or so. Leo went on to win the FIFA World Cup in 2022 with Argentina. His move to the Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami is also proving to be quite successful for him so far.
The number ten of Inter Miami certainly fulfills the eligibility criteria of winning multiple Ballon d’Or to be able to be considered for the Super Ballon d’Or. However, one of the things reportedly also mentioned was that the recipient of the award should be the best soccer player in the last three decades or so.
This might be the reason that could snub Leo from winning the Super Ballon d’Or. However, it can’t be denied that if the prestigious award is introduced and organized again, one can think that Messi and Ronaldo would be the probable deserving ones to win it.
The only player who won the Super Ballon d’Or
Former Spain international and Real Madrid player Alfredo Di Stefano is reportedly the only player in the history of soccer to have won the Super Ballon d’Or. The Real Madrid striker is regarded as one of the greatest soccer players ever to embrace the game.
Alfredo was born on July 4, 1926. There is a specific eligibility norm to qualify for the Super Ballon d’Or. A player must have been a multiple-time winner of the Ballon d’Or to be considered for the prestigious honor.
The Span international Alfredo Di Stefano won the Ballon d’Or in 1957 and 1959, respectively. So, he was eligible for the honor. The legendary striker is Real Madrid’s fourth-highest goal scorer ever. For Spain’s international team, he has 23 goals in his 31 matches. The veteran soccer player, unfortunately, passed away on July 7, 2014.