Andrey Arshavin deems Lionel Messi worthy of the Ballon d'Or

As the prestigious Ballon d'Or ceremony in London approaches, discussions within the football community are heating up. Former Arsenal attacking midfielder Andrey Arshavin stated that Lionel Messi deserves to win the 2026 award. In his view, this could be a fitting conclusion to the Argentine star's professional career at its absolute peak. This is reported by Goal.com reports.

In an interview with Sports.ru, the former captain of the Russian national team noted that there is no clear favorite for this year's award. Despite the competitive balance maintained throughout the season, Arshavin expressed that Lionel Messi's consistent performance at both international and club levels puts him ahead of the others.

According to reports, the 39-year-old forward has been included in the Ballon d'Or nominee list for a record 17th time. Messi played a key role in leading the Argentina national team to the World Cup final, scoring 8 goals during the tournament. Although they lost to the Spain national team in the decisive match, the forward's efforts earned him widespread acclaim from experts.

At the club level, the player also proved his worth. The experienced captain, currently playing for Inter Miami, made a massive contribution to the team winning its first-ever Major League Soccer championship and the Campeones Cup. This season, he scored 21 goals and provided 11 assists.

A historic ceremony and intense competition

According to Goal.com, the prestigious award ceremony will take place on Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium Theatre in London. For the first time in its history, the ceremony is being held outside of Paris, specifically in the UK capital to honor the 70th anniversary of the award.

However, Lionel Messi will not win this prize easily. The 30-man shortlist also includes representatives of the new generation of world football. In particular, stars such as Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Jude Bellingham are also mentioned as top contenders for the Ballon d'Or.

Andrey Arshavin believes that if the judges and experts evaluate the overall impact of the season, Lionel Messi's achievements provide sufficient grounds to award him this prize once again.