By Victor Kanayo
World Cup winner Lionel Messi has been crowned the Best FIFA Men’s Player 2022 in a glittering ceremony in Paris, France capital on Monday night February 27, 2023.
Messi beat his Paris Saint-Germain and World Cup final rival, Kylian Mbappe to the award.
Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema was the other contender who missed the prize.
Before the 2022 FIFA award, Messi won the Ballon d’Or seven times and claimed the FIFA award – inaugurated in 2016 following FIFA’s split with Ballon d’Or organisers France Football – once in 2019.
The winner of the award is decided by a jury comprised of the coach and captain of every men’s national team and one journalist from each country, but fans can also vote.
In the last two years, Messi has made the podium as Robert Lewandowski has won the title, but the 35-year-old’s career-crowning World Cup triumph was the defining moment of 2022.
He has also been in excellent form for Paris Saint-Germain this season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions, including the 700th of his career in victory over Marseille at the weekend.
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.
Benzema did not attend the ceremony.
