Lionel Messi reveals who would get his vote for the Ballon d'Or

Despite being many people’s favorite to win a seventh Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi can think of two other players who would be deserving winners.

Lionel Messi has revealed Paris Saint-Germain teammates Neymar and Kylian Mbappe would get his vote for the Ballon d’Or.

After a year-long hiatus, football’s most prestigious individual honor is back in business. France Football unveiled the 30-man shortlist on Friday, which included Messi. Joining him on the list are Neymar and Mbappe, as well as fellow PSG summer signing Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The 2021 Ballon d'Or nominees are here 🏆

Who should win? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/DNB5zXTRBC

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 8, 2021

In the eyes of many fans and bookmakers alike, Messi is expected to win a seventh Ballon d’Or – but who would the man himself choose?

“Obviously I have two players in my team that I would vote for, Ney and Kylian,” Messi told L’Equipe.

As a six-time winner of the award, the 34-year-old also gave some insight on what it takes to lift the Ballon d’Or.

He added: “Afterwards, there are players at the individual level who have had a great season, like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Karim] Benzema. But it’s hard to say because what you have done at the collective level means a lot to win the Golden Ball.

“Lately, the titles have a lot of weight, if you won the Champions League, the Euro, the Copa America.

“I think in previous years, we looked more for the player of the year, the best player. But now the titles also have a lot of weight.”