Messi beats Mbappe to FIFA Best prize
Published: 06:02 AM,Feb 28,2023 | EDITED : 12:02 PM,Feb 28,2023
Lionel Messi won The Best FIFA men's player prize for 2022 on Monday on the back of his World Cup triumph with Argentina and Spain's Alexia Putellas retained the women's award at a ceremony in Paris.
Messi beat his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, and World Cup final rival, Kylian Mbappe to the men's gong with Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema having been the other contender to claim the prize.
It is the second time Messi has won the honor inaugurated by FIFA in 2016 after football's world governing body split from Ballon d'Or organizers France Football.
The award, voted for by national team coaches and captains, journalists, and fans, recognizes a year in which the former Barcelona star crowned his glorious career by leading Argentina to victory at the World Cup.
Messi scored twice in an epic final in Doha as Argentina beat France on penalties despite Mbappe netting a hat-trick for Les Bleus in a remarkable 3-3 draw.
He also claimed the Golden Ball for the best player at the tournament, although Mbappe was the top scorer with eight goals, one more than Messi. "This year was just mad for me, to be able to achieve the dream that I had fought so hard for.
In the end, I got it and it was the most beautiful thing that has happened in my career," Messi said of his World Cup win as he collected his award. "It is a dream for every footballer but something that very few can make come true," added Messi, who was sat in the Paris theatre in between Mbappe and his wife Antonella Roccuzzo. He took the prize just 24 hours after combining with Mbappe to lead PSG to a 3-0 win against Marseille in Ligue 1.
- Putellas pips Mead and Morgan - The 35-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, succeeds Polish star Robert Lewandowski on the FIFA honors list, while Putellas retained the women's prize despite spending the second half of last year out injured. The 29-year-old beat England's European Championship-winning striker Beth Mead and United States star Alex Morgan to add the FIFA crown to the Ballon d'Or, which she has also won two years running.'
Putellas is currently recovering from a serious knee injury suffered last July which ruled her out of the Euro in England with Spain. Prior to that she had scored 11 goals on Barcelona's run to the Champions League final, which they lost to Lyon.
Putellas has previously said she hopes to return from injury in time to play again this season, but it remains to be seen whether she will feature for Spain at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July and August. Argentina's World Cup win in Qatar was also recognised as Lionel Scaloni claimed the men's coach's honour and Emiliano Martinez was named the best male goalkeeper. Meanwhile, England's European Championship victory helped their Dutch manager Sarina Wiegman win the prize for best women's coach, while Mary Earps was named the women's goalkeeper of the year. Polish amputee player Marcin Oleksy took the Puskas Award for best goal, named after Hungary great Ferenc Puskas. as/nr
"It's amazing. It was a tremendous year and it is an honor for me to be here tonight and win this award", said Messi, who sat next to France forward and Paris St Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe throughout the ceremony at Paris's Salle Pleyel.
Mbappe, also nominated for the highly anticipated award of the night, netted a hat-trick in the World Cup final but his achievement was overshadowed as Messi finally won the most coveted trophy in world football. "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." His compatriots Lionel Scaloni and Emiliano Martinez won the coach of the year and keeper of the year awards respectively, and their supporters even got the best fans prize. At the same time, England was rewarded for their victorious women's Euro 2022 campaign.
Mary Earps was named keeper of the year and England's Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman received the accolade for best coach of a team who had four players in the year's World 11 - Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, and Keira Walsh. Spain's Alexia Putellas, who won the Ballon d'Or last year, was named women's player of the year after inspiring Barcelona to a third consecutive national title in 2022. Polish amputee Marcin Oleksy won the Puskas prize for the best goal of the year for a spectacular acrobatic volley with Warta Poznan against Stal Rzeszow.
Messi beat his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, and World Cup final rival, Kylian Mbappe to the men's gong with Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema having been the other contender to claim the prize.
It is the second time Messi has won the honor inaugurated by FIFA in 2016 after football's world governing body split from Ballon d'Or organizers France Football.
The award, voted for by national team coaches and captains, journalists, and fans, recognizes a year in which the former Barcelona star crowned his glorious career by leading Argentina to victory at the World Cup.
Messi scored twice in an epic final in Doha as Argentina beat France on penalties despite Mbappe netting a hat-trick for Les Bleus in a remarkable 3-3 draw.
He also claimed the Golden Ball for the best player at the tournament, although Mbappe was the top scorer with eight goals, one more than Messi. "This year was just mad for me, to be able to achieve the dream that I had fought so hard for.
In the end, I got it and it was the most beautiful thing that has happened in my career," Messi said of his World Cup win as he collected his award. "It is a dream for every footballer but something that very few can make come true," added Messi, who was sat in the Paris theatre in between Mbappe and his wife Antonella Roccuzzo. He took the prize just 24 hours after combining with Mbappe to lead PSG to a 3-0 win against Marseille in Ligue 1.
- Putellas pips Mead and Morgan - The 35-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, succeeds Polish star Robert Lewandowski on the FIFA honors list, while Putellas retained the women's prize despite spending the second half of last year out injured. The 29-year-old beat England's European Championship-winning striker Beth Mead and United States star Alex Morgan to add the FIFA crown to the Ballon d'Or, which she has also won two years running.'
Putellas is currently recovering from a serious knee injury suffered last July which ruled her out of the Euro in England with Spain. Prior to that she had scored 11 goals on Barcelona's run to the Champions League final, which they lost to Lyon.
Putellas has previously said she hopes to return from injury in time to play again this season, but it remains to be seen whether she will feature for Spain at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July and August. Argentina's World Cup win in Qatar was also recognised as Lionel Scaloni claimed the men's coach's honour and Emiliano Martinez was named the best male goalkeeper. Meanwhile, England's European Championship victory helped their Dutch manager Sarina Wiegman win the prize for best women's coach, while Mary Earps was named the women's goalkeeper of the year. Polish amputee player Marcin Oleksy took the Puskas Award for best goal, named after Hungary great Ferenc Puskas. as/nr
"It's amazing. It was a tremendous year and it is an honor for me to be here tonight and win this award", said Messi, who sat next to France forward and Paris St Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe throughout the ceremony at Paris's Salle Pleyel.
Mbappe, also nominated for the highly anticipated award of the night, netted a hat-trick in the World Cup final but his achievement was overshadowed as Messi finally won the most coveted trophy in world football. "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." His compatriots Lionel Scaloni and Emiliano Martinez won the coach of the year and keeper of the year awards respectively, and their supporters even got the best fans prize. At the same time, England was rewarded for their victorious women's Euro 2022 campaign.
Mary Earps was named keeper of the year and England's Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman received the accolade for best coach of a team who had four players in the year's World 11 - Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, and Keira Walsh. Spain's Alexia Putellas, who won the Ballon d'Or last year, was named women's player of the year after inspiring Barcelona to a third consecutive national title in 2022. Polish amputee Marcin Oleksy won the Puskas prize for the best goal of the year for a spectacular acrobatic volley with Warta Poznan against Stal Rzeszow.