Didier Drogba Will Present 2023 Ballon d’Or Award to Lionel Messi in Paris

The Ballon d’Or award ceremony is edging closer. The French Football Association will host the event at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 30. Numerous reports already assert that Lionel Messi is set to lift his 8th Ballon d’Or award this Monday. Now, France Football is looking to check all the boxes for one of the biggest nights in soccer, as Chelsea icon Didier Drogba is set to present the prestigious award in Paris.

The former Chelsea star was seen in a video clip for the France FA, where he talked about the upcoming event. Fans have been eager to see Lionel Messi etch his name in the record books as he becomes the only player in the history of soccer to lift 8 Ballon d’Or trophies. If it were to happen, this would also be the first time in the history of the award that a player playing outside Europe will lift the coveted award.

Didier Drogba set to present Lionel Messi with the Ballon d’Or

Premier League icon Didier Drogba will be present in France this week. The star has been announced as the presenter for the night, with the Ivory Coast icon set to award the winner with the coveted title. Journalist Fabrizio Romano shared a post on X, with a clip of Drogba talking about the upcoming event.

Drogba talked about his outing during a clip from the France Football Association. “Good Afternoon, everyone. I’m Didier Drogba and I’m here in Paris. And on Monday we are going to present the 67th ceremony of the Ballon d’Or France Football. And we are going to talk about the last two World Cups. We’re also going to talk about the treble of Manchester City. Amazing individual performances both men’s and women’s football as well. So I see you on Monday.”

Drogba had a great soccer career at club level as he made 381 appearances for Chelsea establishing himself as a club legend. During his time in London, he found the back of the net 164 times while making 88 assists. The Chelsea legend is set to present the award to Inter-Miami superstar Lionel Messi, who will become the first player playing outside Europe to lift the award. While Messi will receive some tough competition from Erling Haaland, it has been reported that Messi has already been informed about him lifting the title.

READ MORE: Here are 9 New Records Lionel Messi Will Claim if He Wins This Year’s Ballon d’Or

La Pulga set to win his record 8th Ballon d’Or

Lionel Messi will make history this Monday as he will become the first player in soccer history to win the prestigious award for a record eight times. Messi had a great season last year as he finally lifted the World Cup title with Argentina after defeating France in the finals of the tournament. The Argentine was the true hero for his side, as he was announced the player of the tournament with 7 goals and 3 assists.

While Messi is in pole position to win the award, the player will receive tough competition from Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. The Man City striker had an equally impressive season for his club as he helped them win a historic treble, scoring 52 goals in 52 games. Haaland also shut his critics down as he smashed the existing goal record in the Premier League in his debut season surpassing Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s records from the early 90s.

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