
Lionel Messi beat Kylian Mbappé for the second time on Monday to win FIFA’s best men’s player award for 2022.
Alexia Putellas of Spain was the best women’s player for the second year in a row.
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Messi won the best player vote over Mbappé and fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema after guiding Argentina to World Cup glory in an epic final against Mbappé’s France in Qatar. Messi became the first player, male or female, to win seven FIFA best player awards, breaking a tie with Marta, Brazil’s six-time best women’s player.
He won the World Cup on his fifth attempt, a record.

Lionel Messi World Victory
“It was an insane year for me,” Messi admitted. “After battling for so long, I was able to realize my [World Cup] ambition. And then it happened, and it was the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to me. Every player’s dream, but only a few can realize it, so I’m grateful to God for the opportunity.”
The three players were chosen from a global panel of national team captains and coaches, journalists from each of FIFA’s 211 member countries, and fans online.
Men’s Best voting results in full
Lionel Messi – 52 points
Kylian Mbappe – 44 points
Karim Benzema – 34 points
Luka Modric – 28 points
Erling Haaland – 24 points
Sadio Mane – 19 points
Julian Alvarez – 17 points
Achraf Hakimi – 15 points
Neymar – 13 points
Kevin de Bruyne – 10 points
Vinicius Jr – 10 points
Robert Lewandowski – 7 points
Jude Bellingham – 3 points
Mohamed Salah – 2 points
FIFA’S ‘THE BEST’ AWARDS 2023
Best men’s player: Lionel Messi (PSG and Argentina)
Best women’s player: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona and Spain)
Best men’s coach: Lionel Scaloni (Argentina)
Best women’s coach: Sarina Wiegman (England)
Best men’s goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa and Argentina)
Best women’s goalkeeper: Mary Earps (Man Utd and England)
Puskas Award: Marcin Oleksy (WARTA POZNAN v Stal Rzeszow)
Fan award: Argentina fans
Fair Play Award: Luka Lochoshvili (Wolfsburg)
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