Messi gives away his 8th Ballon d'Or in a classy gesture ahead of MLS return

Lionel Messi has given away his latest Ballon d'Or trophy just months after controversially beating the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to the award.

Messi was crowned the best player in world soccer for a record eighth time back in October following his heroics with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Barcelona legend captained his country to glory in the Middle East, where he claimed the one major honor that had eluded him throughout his iconic career.

And almost seven months on from lifting the World Cup, he then waved goodbye to French team Paris Saint-Germain and headed for the States after sealing a lucrative move to Inter Miami.

In his first four months with the David Beckham-owned franchise, Messi scored 11 goals in 14 games while inspiring them to a first-ever trophy in the Leagues Cup.

Despite his success for both club and country, fans were left outraged when Messi received his eighth Ballon d'Or last year, with some arguing that Manchester City powerhouse Haaland was more deserving.

However, four months on from the award win the 36-year-old has given away his latest individual prize.

According to Spanish journalist Miquel Blazquez, Messi has donated his Ballon d'Or trophy to Barcelona despite not winning it with his old club.

Doing so will allow Barca to place their all-time-great former player's eighth award alongside the other seven that are in their club museum.

Messi cemented a legacy as arguably the greatest player in soccer history at the Nou Camp, winning 10 Spanish titles and four Champions Leagues while scoring an incredible 672 goals in 778 games.

He is currently gearing up for the start of the 2024 MLS season, with Miami's first outing in store against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night.

Earlier this week Messi was forced to come out and deny that he skipped a recent friendly in Hong Kong due to political reasons.

Chinese state media, Hong Kong politicians and fans reacted angrily when the Argentine forward came off the bench three days later in a friendly match in Tokyo.

Since then Hangzhou and Beijing have said they will not host Argentina games scheduled for March as the fallout rumbles on and now Messi has spoken in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

'I've read and heard many things that have been said after the game in Hong Kong. I wanted to record this video and give you the true version so nobody has to continue reading false stories,' Messi said in a video posted on Weibo.

'I've heard people say that I didn't want to play for political reasons and many other reasons that are totally untrue.

'Had that been the case I wouldn't have even travelled to Japan or visited China, as I have many times. Since the start of my career I've had a very close and special relationship with China.'