(Football news) Lionel Messi was named Best FIFA Men’s Player in Paris as he beat fellow Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema. Messi was favourite to win the award after he won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina in December which was subsequently the country’s first in 36 years and ending his wait for the only major honour to have eluded him in his career.

Monday’s award is only the second time Messi has won FIFA’s The Best men’s player award since its rebranding in 2016. He added to his FIFA World Player of the Year award when he first received it back in 2009. Messi won his second Best award which pulls him level with Cristiano Ronaldo (2016, 2017) and Robert Lewandowski (2020, 2021), who have shared all but one of the prizes, as the 2018 edition awarded to a different player which was Luka Modric.

Lionel Messi beat Kylian Mbappe to the Golden Ball trophy awarded by FIFA for the World Cup’s best player. Messi went on to score seven goals at the World Cup in Qatar which included a brace in the thrilling 3-3 final victory on penalties as he finished one behind Golden Boot winner Mbappe. Messi this season has scored 16 goals in 27 games in all competitions this season, as well as registering 14 assists, as he chases his second Ligue 1 title in two years at PSG.

Barcelona women’s team player Alexia Putellas won the Best FIFA Women’s award for the second year running. Mary Earps was named keeper of the year and England’s Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman won the best women’s coach. Polish disabled footballer Marcin Oleksy won the Puskas prize for best goal of the year for a spectacular volley for Warta Poznań against Stal Rzeszów. While Argentina fans at the World Cup won the award for the best fans. 

Barcelona’s Putellas wins Best FIFA Women’s Player “It’s amazing. It was a tremendous year and it is an honour for me to be here tonight and win this award,” said Messi, who sat next to Mbappe throughout the ceremony at the Salle Pleyel.

Monday’s award was Messi’s second FIFA The Best title, his first coming in 2019. He has also won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards.”I want to express my thanks to [coach Lionel] Scaloni and my teammates; without them I would not be here,” Messi added.

“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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