IShowSpeed completely lost it when Lionel Messi won his 8th Ballon d’Or | OneFootball

Highlights

Football is ultimately a team sport, it's about a collection of individuals working together to win trophies. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts and all that. However, there is still a place within the beautiful game to celebrate individual brilliance. Hence why we have the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

Every year, all the biggest names in football come together and decide which players deserve to be acknowledged as the very best. In the past, some era-defining stars have won the award, such as Michael Platini, Eusebio, Zinedine Zidane, Marco van Basten, Sir Bobby Charlton and many other fantastic footballers.

Of course, recent editions of the ceremony have been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal star has won the award on five occasions but his last victory came in 2017. Since then, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema have added their names to the illustrious list.

But while Ronaldo's star quality has faded a little with age – as evidenced by the fact that he now plays his football in the Saudi Pro League – long-term rival Messi has continued to deliver the goods. Indeed, the Argentine has won the Ballon d'Or three times since the Al-Nassr star last lifted it. The most recent victory came last night as the Inter Miami ace was recognised for a record eighth time – no doubt his success with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup played a huge part in the voting for the 36-year-old.

Messi's history with the Ballon d'Or

Play Video

The ceremony doesn't just focus on the one winner, of course. It affords the opportunity for great individuals across both the men's and women's games to be recognised. For instance, Aitana Bonmatí came out on top amongst all the Ballon d'Or Féminin nominees. On top of that, one interesting moment was when the 2023 Yashin Trophy was awarded for the best goalkeeper of the year.

Boos at Ballon d'Or for Emi Martinez

Indeed, with the event being held in Paris, it's safe to say the locals in attendance did not enjoy the sight of Emiliano Martinez taking to the stage to receive his award. After all, it was the Argentine who made an incredible save in the World Cup final to deny France’s Randal Kolo Muani from winning the tournament for Les Blues. The Aston Villa man was actually booed by some crowd members, prompting host Didier Drogba to call for some respect.

Amid all the glitz and glamour, famous YouTuber IShowSpeed had somehow managed to blag a ticket to the event and was up to his usual tricks, causing chaos behind the scenes as he rubbed shoulders with the sporting elite. In one instance, he bumped into tennis legend Novak Djokovic. The Serbian managed to troll the internet star, however, as he successfully pretended to be a young and up-and-coming player at AC Milan instead.

In another moment, Speed spoke with Manchester City hero and winner of the Gerd Muller Trophy for best goalscorer Erling Haaland. The Norwegian took a dig at the YouTuber's shoes. In response, the American made a remark about the striker's hair and barked. You can watch the awkward exchange below.

However, the most eye-catching moment of the night for IShowSpeed came as Messi took the stage to receive the eighth Ballon d'Or of his career. As the Argentina legend's name was announced, the online streamer feigned shock that Ronaldo had not won the award. Speed is well known for being a CR7 superfan and loudly shouted "What?" in mock disbelief, as those around him politely cheered and clapped for Messi.

At one point, he even barked again and drew some questionable looks from the esteemed guests sitting nearby. Soon after, he got to his feet to continue his remonstrations but may have inadvertently started a standing ovation as others in the room also stood up, but to show their respect for Messi instead. Something tells us Speed might not get an invite back next year...