Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi acknowledged the moment of withdrawal is approaching after picking up a record sixth Ballon d Or crown at Monday s ceremony in Paris.
Messi saw off stiff competition from Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to win the award for the first time since 2015, moving him one ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished third.
The 32-year-old has scored 41 goals in 44 club appearances this calendar year, but he is unsure just how long he will be able to maintain his incredible goalscoring form.
Speaking on stage after collecting the prestigious accolade, a decade on from his first triumph, Messi said: To the journalists and my colleagues with whom I win and lose, I remember my first Ballon D Or in Paris, when I arrived with my brothers, now I…