Lionel Messi has 'cemented' the Ballon d'Or with World Cup win

Kieron Dyer says the World Cup was a ‘passing of the torch tournament,’ one that will have secured another Ballon d’Or for Lionel Messi.

No player has won the Ballon d’Or more than Messi, with the Argentinian taking it home seven times already during his sensational career.

The closest player to him is old rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five to his name, but Dyer says that lead is going to be extended as a result of the Qatar World Cup – and the brilliant young players the tournament showcased will also have to wait a little longer too.

Speaking on 90min’s World Cup Show, Dyer said: “I always like the story line that you see the [Jude] Bellingham's, you see the Pedri's, you see [Jamal] Musiala from Germany, you see all these young guys. It was like a passing of the torch kind of tournament to [Kylian] Mbappe.

“That was the end of Ronaldo, probably Messi, [Luka] Modric. So you thought it was a real changing of the guard.

“But Messi, he writes his own scripts, and I'm afraid they're going to have to wait a couple more years before the Ballon d'Or will be theirs. I think he's obviously cemented the Ballon d'Or already this year.”

Messi had a brilliant tournament in Qatar, scoring six goals. That was not enough to get him the golden boot, though, with Mbappe getting seven – including a hat-trick in the final.