Messi out of his seat, why? The ‘crazy situation’ at the Ballon d’Or ceremony
The winner of the 2023 Ballon d’Or is Lionel Messi.
Messi led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It was Argentina’s first title in 36 years and the first of Messi’s career. An unprecedented eight Ballon d’Ors. Messi has won every trophy imaginable, and he’s truly the GOAT.
Also present at the Ballon d’Or ceremony where Messi was honored was Hvitsa Kvaradze. He is known as the ‘Messi of Georgia’. He was the centerpiece of Napoli’s Serie A title run last season. He arrived at the ceremony as a Ballon d’Or nominee.
It was an amazing experience for Kvartachelia. An experience she will never forget, the highest honor of her career.
It happened at the Ballon d’Or gala. The athletes were sitting in their seats. Suddenly, Messi stood up from his seat and walked over to where Kvarachelia was sitting, and Messi shook Kvarachelia’s hand.
The best player in the world, winner of eight Ballon d’Ors, disobeyed the request not to get up, walked over to where Kvarachelia was sitting, shook his hand, and left. It was an unforgettable moment for Kvarachelia, who described it as a “crazy situation”.
Spain’s Marca reported on the situation. “It happened during the Ballon d’Or gala. I had a really amazing experience. You might not believe me when I tell you this story. It was a really crazy experience.”
“We were warned by the moderator to stay in our seats, but Messi suddenly stood up. No one knew where he was going, but he walked straight to me. I didn’t know what was going on until then. I was so confused, I stood up and shook his hand, and then he waved back at me and went back to his seat,” he recalled.
“I knew Messi, and I respected him,” Kvartzhelia said. And after this, I admired him even more. I fell in love with Messi as a person. It’s a crazy situation that he got up from his seat for me. He’s a great guy, I respect him a lot, I’m grateful to him,” he said excitedly.