After missing out on the 2022 award to Karim Benzema, Messi has reportedly been informed of his victory this time around ahead of the ceremony taking place in Paris on Monday, October 30.
Lionel Messi is expected to lift his eighth Ballon d'Or later this month after the winners for both the male and female awards for 2023 were leaked, UK Mirror reports.
This comes after Messi, 36 led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star joined Inter Miami in July.
After missing out on the 2022 award to Karim Benzema, Messi has reportedly been informed of his victory this time around ahead of the ceremony taking place in Paris on Monday, October 30.
As for the female award, Catalan newspaper Sport said that Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati will be presented as the winner at the Chatelet Theater, having won the Women's World Cup with Spain after beating England in August's dramatic final.
Messi's imminent triumph will see the Ballon d'Or awarded to someone who plays outside of Europe for the first time in history. The glory will take him three clear of eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 36-year-old faced fierce competition from Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and ex-PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe but is set to come out on top thanks to his heroics in Qatar.
Haaland won the Treble with City last season by scoring 52 goals in 53 games. Mbappe, meanwhile, memorably bagged a hat-trick in the World Cup final against Messi's Argentina and performed well during an underwhelming campaign for PSG.