Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
Lionel Messi has been named FIFA’s Best Men’s Player after leading Argentina to World Cup success in 2022.
Messi, 35, scored seven goals as Argentina won their third World Cup in Qatar.
He has also been in fine form for Paris Saint-Germain this season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions, including the 700th of his career in the weekend’s win against Marseille.
“It’s amazing. It’s an honour for me to be here tonight and win this award,” said Messi.
“Without my team-mates I wouldn’t be here. It was an amazing year and I achieved the dream that I’ve been hoping for so long and finally, I managed to achieve it.
“It [the World Cup] is the most wonderful thing that’s happened to me in my career.”
Messi provided two assists in the Ligue 1 win over Marseille for team-mate Kylian Mbappe, who was also one of the final three nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award.
Mbappe was the top scorer at the 2022 World Cup with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final as France lost to Argentina on penalties.
He finished 2022 with 56 goals in 56 games for club and country. Messi and Mbappe sat together at the ceremony in Paris, with Messi watching as Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni won The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Award. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema did not attend the ceremony.
Benzema missed out on the World Cup with France due to injury but was a key player for Real Madrid as they won the Champions League for a 14th time. He is the fourth-highest scorer in Champions League history with 88 goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Robert Lewandowski.
Bayern Munich’s Lewandowski had won The Best FIFA Men’s Player award for the last two years but did not make it to the final three this time.
FIFA Player of the Year (Women’s)
Alexia Putellas won it for the second year in a row, steering Barcelona to domestic titles, but losing in the UEFA Champions League final. She also missed out on Euro 2022 with Spain due to an ACL injury in the lead-up to the tournament. She appeared surprised she won it and she admitted she was unprepared as far as remarks.
She was thanking people as they were popping into mind. “Thanks to all these persons who’ve been there every day during my whole life. Thanks to them, I am who I am. I am made up of bits of everyone who I’ve come across along the way.”
