LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Leila Fadel. Inter Miami star Lionel Messi just scored a record-breaking eighth Ballon d'Or, a prestigious honor given to the world's top soccer player each year. And here's the kicker - he won the award yesterday on the birthday of the late Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona, who would have been 63. Messi made sure to shout-out his idol in his acceptance speech, saying wherever you are, Diego, this is also for you. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.