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The Ballon d'Or award is the highest individual honour for the best footballer of the year by the French publication, France Football. Apart from this, the French magazine has also awarded the Super Ballon d'Or once in the football history while many are expecting Argentina captain Lionel Messi to receive the second award after his sensational performance to help his side win the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The Super Ballon d'Or is awarded to the best football player of the past three decades, if there is a player with exceptional performances and achievements in his career.
The Argentina born legend, Alfredo di Stefano won the Ballon d'Or twice, in 1957 and 1959, Also, the former Real Madrid legend has been the only recipient of the Super Ballon d'Or, which was awarded on December 24, 1989. Stefano beat Dutch legend Johan Cruyff and French icon Michel Platini to the award. Apparently, the Super Ballon d’Or was only for European players at the time, but Di Stefano's Spanish citizenship made him eligible to lift the award.
Back in the time, the Blond Arrow took advantage of a relaxed approach to the international rules and played for three national teams between 1947 and 1961. Di Stefano played six matches for Argentina and moved to Colombia, where he played four games. In 1956, he acquired Spanish nationality and went on to score 23 goals in his 31 appearances for La Furia.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi added the World Cup title to his respectable trophy cabinet and also become the first player to win two Golden Balls at the FIFA World Cup. The record seven-time Ballon d'Or winner scored seven goals in seven matches for Argentina to take his overall goals tally to 13 goals in 26 matches across the five editions of the FIFA World Cup.
