Ana Markovic, often dubbed the world’s most beautiful player, has tipped Lionel Messi to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.
Markovic represents the Croatian women’s national team at the international level. At club level, she plays for the Swiss women’s Super League club Grasshopper.
The 23-year-old has now tipped Lionel Messi and Alexia Putellas to win at the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards.
Messi holds the record for most Ballon d’Or wins, with seven. The Argentine missed out on the top 30 of the 2022 edition of the prize.
Messi, however, led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in Qatar. He scored seven goals and provided three assists during the tournament and was named the winner of the Golden Ball award.
The stunning performances have once again put Messi in the mix as the favorite to win the individual prize.
Ana Markovic is siding with Lionel Messi as well. She responded to a fan on Twitter and revealed her picks.
Markovic, however, is a huge fan of Messi’s eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. She has previously named Luka Modric as her idol and Ronaldo as her favorite.
Markovic said (via Daily Star):
“[Luka] Modric is definitely a great role model for me. He is a world footballer and represents Croatia. There are many good players among the women, such as [Ramona] Bachmann. But my absolute favourite player is Cristiano Ronaldo because he’s just so disciplined. I think it’s super important that you give your all in sport and have a good mindset like him.”
Markovic is one of the most gorgeous players in football at this point in time. She has previously said this about it:
“I liked the articles that called me the most beautiful footballer or one of the most beautiful because it makes me happy to hear that I am beautiful. But then newspaper articles appeared in which I was described as the sexiest footballer. I didn’t like that.”
Can Lionel Messi win the Ballon d’Or in 2023?
Apart from his performances with Argentina, Lionel Messi has been in great form for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as well. He has scored 12 goals and has provided 14 assists in 19 games so far this season for the Parisians.
With Neymar and Kylian Mbappe also in their ranks, PSG are among the favorites to win the UEFA Champions League. A triumphant campaign in Europe will certainly make Messi the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or for a record-extending eighth time.
