Lionel Messi wishes the late Diego Maradona a happy birthday while accepting his eight Ballon d’Or

After winning his eighth Ballon d’Or on Monday, Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi wished the late Argentina legend Diego Maradona a happy birthday during his acceptance speech.

Maradona died in 2020 after suffering a fatal heart attack.

As Maradona was perhaps the most iconic footballer born in Argentina next to Messi, it did not escape the 36-year-old’s attention that he won the award on his idol’s 63rd birthday.

‘Wherever you are, this is for you too. Happy birthday, Diego,” Messi said before receiving heart-warming applause from the crowd.

Messi was joined on stage by his wife Antonela and their three sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro as he accepted the award.

Lionel Messi was joined on stage by his sons as he received the Ballon d’Or on Monday

During his acceptance speech, Messi wished the legendary Diego Maradona a happy birthday

The late Argentine legend Maradona died of a heart attack in November 2020

His son Ciro at one point tried to hold the 33-pound trophy before returning it to his father.

Messi received the trophy from Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, who helped engineer the move that changed the landscape of Major League Soccer.

The Miami forward was also named a finalist for MLS Newcomer of the Year after leading the club to an upset victory in the inaugural MLS Leagues Cup.

A big part of Messi’s CV for the season that earned him his eighth Ballon d’Or was the fantastic job he did in leading Argentina to a World Cup trophy this year.

Messi defeated Manchester City striker Errling Haaland, who went on to win the Gerd Muller Trophy for the highest scoring man in 2022-2023 with 56 goals.

PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe finished third in the Ballon d’Or race and finished one goal shy of Haaland in the race for the Gerd Muller Trophy.

Jude Bellingham also took home the Kopa Trophy, which is for the best U21 player in the world.