Lionel Messi wins Ballon d’Or ahead of Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool stars

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or award for a seventh time ahead of Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho.

Messi, who joined PSG from Barcelona last summer, was named the 2021 Ballon d’Or winner at a ceremony held in Paris on Monday night, with Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski second and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho third.

The 34-year-old ended his long wait for a major international trophy by helping Argentina win the Copa America in July, while he also won his seventh Copa del Rey trophy before leaving the Nou Camp in August.

The award, presented by French magazine France Football to crown the best player in the world, was not handed out last season because of Covid disruption to the football calendar.

Messi and long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo have now shared 12 of the last 13 Ballon d’Or trophies, with Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric the only man to have broken their duopoly. The first men’s Ballon d’Or was awarded in 1956.

Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi said: ‘Today I’m here in Paris. I am very happy, really very happy, I really want to continue to fight and reach new objectives.

‘I don’t know how many more years but I am really enjoying myself. I thank my team-mates at Barcelona, Paris and Argentina.

‘Robert [Lewandowski], you deserve your Ballon d’Or. Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner of this award.’

There were 14 Premier League players on the 30-strong shortlist for the men’s award, including four – Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount and Cesar Azpilicueta – who helped Chelsea win the Champions League in May.

Four England players – Mount, Phil Foden, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling – were…