Mauricio Pochettino believes that Lionel Messi can win an eighth Ballon d'Or after the PSG forward picked up his seventh crown on Monday.

"I think it is completely deserved, I can understand that in other countries there may be criticism but I think it's well deserved. Now it's up to him to enjoy with his family and the people he loves to enjoy this trophy and why not already start the construction on the first day towards an eighth.", said the PSG coach.

He previously said at the same press conference: "First of all I want to publicly congratulate Leo and his family, this is a huge thing. I also hope that this is the first day of the construction for an eighth golden ball and for all the players and the people of the club and the staff, the fact that we have (Messi) and his six golden balls and that he has a seventh is extraordinary. We are all delighted to have him here every day. We hope that this is the beginning of an eighth golden ball on the individual level and to be able to have the trophies in a collective way because it is something that we all expect here at the club."