Lionel Messi Wins Best Fifa Men’s Player Of The Year Award

Argentina and Paris St-Germain forward Lionel Messi has been named men’s player of the year at the 2022 Best Fifa Awards.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner beat French forwards Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema to the award.

Messi, 35, helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, scoring 27 goals in 49 games for club and country in 2021-22.

Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas was named women’s player of the year.

At the ceremony in Paris, Lionel Scaloni, who led Argentina to their third World Cup title, was named men’s coach of the year.

Scaloni beat Pep Guardiola – who led Manchester City to a sixth Premier League title – and Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning boss Carlo Ancelotti to the honour.

Lionel Messi wins Best Fifa Men's Player of the Year award
Lionel Messi was presented the award by Fifa president Gianni Infantino

England manager Sarina Wiegman was named women’s coach of the year after guiding the Lionesses to European Championship glory on home soil last year, the team’s first major trophy.

Aston Villa and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez was recognised as the leading men’s goalkeeper.

The 30-year-old helped his country win the World Cup, saving four penalties along the way including in the shootout victory against France in the final.

Amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy of Polish side Warta Poznan won the Fifa Puskas award for the best goal in world football for his stunning strike against Stal Rzeszow, when he sent a powerful overhead volley into the back of the net with the help of his crutches.

Recipient of the fair play award was Luka Lochoshvili, who held the tongue of his opponent, Georg Teigl, to save his life after the midfielder had fallen unconscious.

Fifpro men’s world XI: Thibaut Courtois; Achraf Hakimi, Virgil van Dijk, Joao Cancelo; Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Casemiro; Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe.

Lionel Messi wins Best Fifa Men's Player of the Year award

Full list of winners:

The Best men’s player: Lionel Messi

The Best women’s player: Alexia Putellas

The Best men’s goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez

The Best women’s goalkeeper: Mary Earps

The Best men’s coach: Lionel Scaloni

The Best women’s coach: Sarina Wiegman

The Best Puskas award: Marcin Oleksy

The Best fan award: Argentina fans

The Best fair play award: Luka Lochoshvili

 

Source: BBC