Lionel Messi has added another lucrative individual prize to his collection after being crowned the Best FIFA Men's Player in Paris.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar was present for FIFA's seventh 'The Best' awards ceremony in the city where he plays his football and beat off competition from a plethora of big names.
Teammate Kylian Mbappe and 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema joined him in the final three but it was Messi, widely expected to win the gong beforehand, who emerged victorious.
It is just the second time he won the award following a triumph in 2019. It comes after he almost single-handedly led Argentina to a first World Cup win in 37 years, scoring seven times to complete football in the Qatar showpiece.
He scored twice in the pulsating victory over France in the final to claim the Golden Ball.
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But he's also been in fine form for PSG after a difficult first season in Ligue One. In all competitions this term, Messi has scored 17 times and assisted 15 in 28 appearances and reminded everyone what an absurdly gifted footballer he is.
Somehow he was omitted from the Ballon d'Or shortlist completely but Messi's achievements in 2022 have been recognised by FIFA, whose award is from January to December.
The voting is made up of, fans, national team managers and national team captains like Messi, as well as
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300 journalists across the world.
Each category gets 25% of the voting to give a more diverse and accurate view and Messi, now 35, won extremely comprehensively.
Messi has won more or less everything in the game, though the one trophy available to him he hasn't lifted is the Coupe de France.
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Individually, the only prestigious prize not in his trophy cabinet is the 'Golden Foot', which has been awarded to elite players to over the age of 28 for the past 20 years.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe
Josh Lawless