Lionel Messi attends the Ballon d'Or photocall with wife Antonella Roccuzzo and their three children on November 29, 2021 in Paris, France. Photo: VCG

There were no surprises at the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday night where Lionel Messi was handed a record seventh crown as the world's best men's footballer. 

The win puts him two ahead of great rival Cristiano Ronaldo, whose five is two more than anyone else, as both start new chapters late into their careers.  

Monday marked the first time that Messi has won the Ballon d'Or as a Paris St-Germain player. The 34-year-old swapped Barcelona for the French capital in the summer after 21 years at the Camp Nou.  

It meant he did not have to travel far to the Theatre du Chatelet this time around. 

"It's incredible to be here again," Messi said at the awards ceremony. "Two years ago I thought it was the last time. People were starting to ask me when I was going to retire but now I'm here in Paris and very happy." 

He seems happy enough. PSG went 12 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table with a 3-1 win away at Saint-Etienne last weekend.  

Messi set up all three goals for the league leaders in that comeback win. 

"I'm happy with the performance of the whole team and the effort from all the players, especially Lionel Messi who helped us win the match," PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino said of his fellow Argentine.  

It is for the Argentina national team that Messi had the greatest success of the last year, winning the Copa America for the first time in the summer, beating hosts Brazil in the final. 

"It's a special year for me with this Copa America title. It meant a lot to win at the Maracana stadium and I was so happy to celebrate with the people from Argentina. 

"I don't know if it's the best year of my life - I've had a long career - but it was a special one with the title with Argentina after the tough times and the criticism." 

He answered those who have been critical of his comparative lack of success on the international stage by being named top goal scorer, top assists provider and player of the tournament at the Copa America as he ended Argentina's 28-year wait for a trophy. 

Messi first won the Ballon d'Or in 2009 before making it four in a row with wins in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He also won in 2015 and again in 2019, the last time that there was an award as the 2020 edition was canceled because of the pandemic. 

Since Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or in 2008, either he or Messi has won every year bar 2018 when Croatia and Real Madrid's Luka Modric won. Last year many think that Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski should have broken the duopoly once more.  

Messi had some kind words for Lewandowski at Monday's ceremony, where the Poland skipper finished second for the 2021 Ballon d'Or. 

"I wanted to say to Robert that it was an honor to go up against him," said Messi. "He deserved to win it last year. 

The consensus is that he would have won if there had been a vote for 2020. Lewandowski scored 41 Bundesliga goals in just 29 games, breaking the legendary Gerd Muller's long-standing record of 40 goals in a season. 

Some have even called on organizers France Football to hand Lewandowksi an award for 2020, although the Bayern Munich star was named 2021's Striker of the Year on Monday night.  

The vote for this year's Ballon d'Or was close with Messi only winning by 33 points overall. The 180 journalists polled by France Football submitted their votes at the end of last month, when Messi had been invovled in 56 goals for club and country since the turn of the year, while Lewandowski had been part of 62 goals. 

Maybe next year will be Lewandowski's, though the 33-year-old was happy enough with his personal award as he congratulated Messi. 

"To start, I would like to congratulate Lionel Messi, Ballon d'Or Winner," Lewandowksi posted on Instagram. 

"I want to thank every single journalist who voted for me, and believed that my achievements were important in 2021. 

"I won Striker Of The Year Award and no player can win an individual award without the strongest team and loyal fans behind him. And for me it's no different. 

"I want to thank my club Bayern Munich for the platform they've given me to succeed and to achieve my dreams. 

"I want to thank my teammates from the Polish National Team and from Bayern Munich. I also want to thank my fans for supporting me every single day it means a lot to me." 

Behind Messi and Lewandowski was Chelsea's Jorginho, 29, Karim Benzema, 33, and N'Golo Kante, 30. Ronaldo, 36, finished in sixth place. 

It seems a long time since a 23-year-old Ronaldo and a 22-year-old Messi won their first awards. Of the top 30 players announced on Monday, the two youngest in the top 10 were Messi's PSG teammates Kylian Mbappe, 22, in ninth and Gianluigi Donnarumma, also 22, in 10th. Donnarumma, who helped Italy to the European Championship in the summer, was given the Yashin Trophy as best goalkeeper. 

Messi's Barcelona heir Pedri won the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player. The 19-year-old adds it to his Golden Boy award last week, which he won by a record margin.  

Pedri - who helped the Spanish national team to the semis at Euro 2020 and then finished runner-up at the Tokyo Olympic Games in a remarkable breakthrough season - became the first Barcelona player to win the Golden Boy award since Messi did in 2005. How Barcelona fans will hope that he can follow further in Messi's footsteps.