Argentina’s Lionel Messi speaks after receiving the Best FIFA Men’s player award through the ceremony of the Best FIFA Football Awards in Paris, France on Monday, February 27, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP
Lionel Messi gained the best FIFA men’s player prize for 2022 on Monday on the again of his World Cup triumph with Argentina and Spain’s Alexia Putellas retained the ladies’s award at a ceremony in Paris.
Messi beat his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, and World Cup closing rival, Kylian Mbappe to the men’s gong with Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema the opposite contender to assert the prize.
It is the second time that Messi has gained the honour inaugurated by FIFA in 2016 after soccer’s world governing physique cut up from Ballon d’Or organisers France Football.
The award, which is voted for by nationwide crew coaches and captains, journalists and likewise followers, recognises a 12 months wherein the previous Barcelona star topped his superb profession by main Argentina to victory on the World Cup.
Messi scored twice in an epic closing in Doha as Argentina beat France on penalties regardless of Mbappe netting a hat-trick for Les Bleus in a exceptional 3-3 draw.
The 35-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, succeeds Robert Lewandowski on the FIFA honours checklist, whereas Putellas retained the ladies’s prize regardless of spending the second half of final 12 months out injured.
The 29-year-old beat England’s European Championship-winning striker Beth Mead and United States star Alex Morgan so as to add the FIFA crown to the Ballon d’Or, which she has additionally gained two years operating.
Putellas is at the moment recovering from a critical knee damage suffered final July which noticed her miss the Euro in England with Spain.
Prior to that she had scored 11 objectives on Barcelona’s run to the Champions League closing, which they misplaced to Lyon.
