Lionel Messi was named Best FIFA Men’s Player in Paris on Monday, beating fierce competitors Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema to the award. This is the second time that Messi has won the award, having won in 2019 as well.
“It’s amazing. It was a tremendous year and it is an honor for me to be here tonight and win this award,” Messi stated upon winning the trophy at the full capacity Salle Pleyel. “I want to express my thanks to [coach Lionel] Scaloni and my teammates; without them, I would not be here. 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.”
Under coach Lionel Scaloni, Messi led Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title; the nation’s first in 36 years. The Paris Saint-Germain forward scored seven goals throughout the tournament along with two in the final en route to winning the Golden Ball award as the player of the tournament.
Messi won a total of five player of the match awards in Qatar; the most in a single World Cup tournament. He also scored a goal in every round of the competition, becoming the first player in history to do so.
