For the record eighth time, Lionel Messi was named the Ballon d'Or winner last week in Paris, beating out Manchester City's Erling Haalaand for the award. Whether he should've captured it over the Norwegian or not is an argument for another day, but the Argentine made sure to bring the prestigious trophy back to the States.

Ahead of Inter Miami's clash with NYCFC, which is coincidentally enough called the Noche d'Or due to Messi winning the award in France and becoming the first MLS player to ever do so, the 2022 World Cup winner walked out of the tunnel and celebrated the Ballon d'Or with the club supporters.

Via BR Football:

Only right since this friendly was essentially put together because of Messi's historic win. The 36-year-old has made an everlasting impact for Inter Miami and brought a ridiculous number of new fans to the MLS, helping the club win the Leagues Cup and also leading them to the US Open Cup final. While an injury derailed their playoff hopes, there's no question the Herons have a bright future ahead with Messi leading the way.

To be perfectly honest though, it's unlikely Lionel Messi will win the Ballon d'Or again and many believed Haaland should've been the one lifting the prize. I mean, he did score over 50 goals in a season and won the treble with City. Messi simply led Argentina to a World Cup title and didn't exactly have a great domestic campaign with PSG. He said himself that Haaland could've very well been the one standing up on that stage in the French capital.

Regardless, it marked history not only for Messi but Major League Soccer, too. All the Inter Miami fans will surely cherish the fact that one of their own was just named the best player in the world for last season, too.