Lionel Messi has been crowned the 2022 FIFA Best Player of the Year at the awards ceremony held in Paris, France on Monday, February 27, 2023.
The legendary Argentina forward beats Pars Saint Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid star Karim Benzema to win the top award. Messi led Argentina to a third World Cup triumph in Qatar after netting in all the knockout games, including a brace in the final.
The 35-year-old, who was winning the award for the second time, dedicated the accolade to his teammates for helping him realize his long-time ambition. “It’s amazing. It’s been a tremendous year and it’s an honour for me to be here and win this award. Without my team-mates I wouldn’t be here,” he said at the ceremony.
“I achieved the dream I had been hoping for for so long. Very few people can achieve that and I have been lucky to do so.” His compatriots Emi Martinez and Lionel Scolani won the best goalkeeper and coach respectively.
