Lionel Messi on Monday won the Best FIFA Men’s Player prize for last year on the back of his World Cup triumph with Argentina, while Spain’s Alexia Putellas retained the women’s award at a ceremony in Paris.
Messi beat his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, and World Cup final rival, Kylian Mbappe to the men’s gong with Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema having been the other contender to claim the prize.
It is the second time that Messi has won the honor inaugurated by FIFA in 2016 after soccer’s world governing body split from Ballon d’Or organizers France Football.
Photo: AFP
The award, which is voted for by national team coaches and captains, journalists and also fans, recognizes a year in which the former Barcelona star crowned his glorious career by leading Argentina to victory at the World Cup.
Messi scored twice in an epic final in Doha, as Argentina beat France on penalties despite Mbappe netting a hat-trick for Les Bleus in a remarkable 3-3 draw.
He also claimed the Golden Ball for the best player at the tournament, although Mbappe was the top scorer with eight goals, one more than Messi.
Photo: AFP
“This year was just mad for me, to be able to achieve my dream that I had fought so hard for. In the end I got it and it was the most beautiful thing that has happened in my career,” Messi said of his World Cup win as he collected his award.
“It is a dream for every footballer, but something that very few can make come true,” he added, whose seat in the theater was next to Mbappe.
He took the prize just 24 hours after combining with Mbappe to lead PSG to a 3-0 win against Marseille in Ligue 1.
The 35-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, succeeds Polish star Robert Lewandowski on the FIFA honors list, while Putellas retained the women’s prize despite spending the second half of last year out injured.
The 29-year-old beat England’s European Championship-winning striker Beth Mead and US star Alex Morgan to add the FIFA crown to the Ballon d’Or, which she has also won two years running.
Putellas is recovering from a serious knee injury from July last year, which ruled her out of the Euro in England with Spain.
Prior to that she had scored 11 goals on Barcelona’s run to the UEFA Champions League final, which they lost to Olympique Lyonnais.
Putellas has previously said she hopes to return from injury in time to play again this season, but it remains to be seen whether she would feature for Spain at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July and August.
Argentina’s World Cup win in Qatar was also recognized as Lionel Scaloni claimed the men’s coach’s honor and Emiliano Martinez was named the best male goalkeeper.
England’s European Championship victory helped their Dutch manager Sarina Wiegman win the prize for best women’s coach, while Mary Earps was named the women’s goalkeeper of the year.
Polish amputee player Marcin Oleksy took the Puskas Award for best goal, named after Hungary great Ferenc Puskas.
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