Messi is in ‘first place’ for the Ballon d’Or in 2023, according to Lewandowski.

Barcelona striker, Robert Lewandowski, has said Lionel Messi is in topposition to take home the 2023 Ballon d’Or after leading Argentina to their third World Cup title.

Messi won five man-of-the-match awards in seven appearances and finished the Qatar tournament with seven goals and three assists. This includes a brace in the final on the way to a penalty shootout victory over France.

He wasn’t nominated for the 2022 Ballon d’Or, but after lifting the World Cup for the first time, Lewandowski is confident that the Paris Saint-Germain superstar will claim a record-extending eighth award.

“There is maybe one more player who plays for the same club [Kylian Mbappe] but there is only one World Cup that decides who is going to win it this season and Leo is now in the top position for sure because of what he has achieved which means everything to him. He now can enjoy it,” The Barcelona frontman said to Mundo Deportivo.

Messi has often been linked with a return to Barcelona over the past few months and Lewandowski has not hidden his excitement at the prospect of playing alongside the World Cup winner. He added: “It’s not up to me. Of course, we see that now he plays more like a ‘playmaker’, perhaps he scores fewer goals and gives more passes to his teammates although he continues to score them. But compared to other times, he is now the footballer that any striker would dream of playing alongside him.”