Lionel Messi was announced the Best FIFA Men’s Player, shrugging off competition from Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.
Messi’s pursuit for the one major honor that had eluded him throughout his career came to an end in December when Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, the nation’s first in 36 years.
Monday’s award was Messi’s second FIFA Best title, his first coming in 2019. He has also won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards.
🏆 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜 🏆
#TheBest FIFA Men’s Player Award 2022 goes to Lionel Messi! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/HXEugVH1t9— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) February 27, 2023
What Messi Said
Speaking at the event held in Paris on Monday, the former Barcelona captain said: “It’s amazing. It was a tremendous year and it is an honour for me to be here tonight and win this award.
“I want to express my thanks to [coach Lionel] Scaloni and my teammates; without them I would not be here.
“I achieved a dream I had been hoping for so long and finally I achieved it.
“It’s a dream for any player; very few people can achieve that and I was lucky enough to do so.
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Meanwhile, Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas won the Best FIFA Women’s award for the second year running, while Argentina’s Scaloni and Emiliano Martinez got the honours for top men’s coach and goalkeeper, respectively.
Way to go, @alexiaputellas! 😍 https://t.co/b4lOZhJq0Z
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 28, 2023
Polish amputee Marcin Oleksy also won the Puskas prize for the best goal of the year for a spectacular acrobatic volley with Warta Poznan against Stal Rzeszow.
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