Lionel Messi lifted the FIFA Men’s Best Player award in a ceremony in Paris on Monday. His PSG team-mate finished second, while Real Madrid attacker Karim Benzema secured third place. He has won the award for the record seventh time.
Th 35-year-old attacker played a pivotal role in Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2022 success. He played seven games in Qatar, registering seven goals and three assists. Lionel Messi was named as tournament’s Best Player and also won the Ballon d’Or last year.
He has also been in excellent form for PSG this season. The former Barcelona star has contributed 12 goals and 12 assists in 20 Ligue 1 appearances so far.
How the footballing world reacts to Lionel Messi’s success
The footballing world congratulated Lionel Messi on social media for his latest triumph. His PSG team Neymar posted a picture of the 35-year-old attacker on his Instagram account saying ‘Congratulations Legend‘.
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What did Lionel Messi say after winning the award?
Lionel Messi thanked his teammates after winning the award in Paris. He said: “This is an honour for me. I want to thank my colleagues, including my manager Scaloni.”
“We’re here representing them all (the Argentina team), as we would not be here without them. It recognises the role they played in what we achieved.”
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He also send message to his family from the podium. He said: “I want to send a kiss to my children, who are watching this, Thiago Mateo and Ciro, I love you…… now go to bed!”
FIFA FIFPro XI:
FIFA also announced the Best World XI during the ceremony. Which is as follows:
Thibaut Courtois – Goalkeeper – Real Madrid
Joao Cancelo – Defender – Manchester City (currently on loan at Bayern Munich)
Virgil van Dijk – Defender – Liverpool
Achraf Hakimi – Defender – Paris Saint-Germain
Casemiro – Midfielder – Manchester United
Kevin De Bruyne – Midfielder – Manchester City
Luka Modric – Midfielder – Real Madrid
Karim Benzema – Attacker – Real Madrid
Erling Haaland – Attacker – Borussia Dortmumd
Kylian Mbappe – Attacker – Paris Saint- Germain
Lionel Messi – Attacker – Paris Saint-Germain
When will Lionel Messi play next?
Paris Saint-Germain are currently first in the Ligue 1 table, with 60 points from 25 games. They will next lock horns against Nantes in a league game on February 5. Lionel Messi is expected to play a key role in the game.
