Lionel Messi named FIFA Player of the Year for 2022

Posted Tuesday, February 28, 2023 by Tribalfootball.com

Argentina and Paris St-Germain forward Lionel Messi has been named Player of the Year at the 2022 Best FIFA Awards.

The 35-year-old beat French forwards Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema to the prize.

Messi helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, scoring 27 goals in 49 games for club and country in 2021-22.

Messi, who won the FIFA Best award for a second time, said: "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.

"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."

At the ceremony in Paris, Lionel Scaloni, who led Argentina to their third World Cup title, was named men's coach of the year.

Scaloni beat Pep Guardiola - who led Manchester City to a sixth Premier League title - and Real Madrid's Champions League-winning boss Carlo Ancelotti to the honour.

Aston Villa and Argentina's Emiliano Martinez was recognised as the leading men's goalkeeper. The 30-year-old helped his country win the World Cup, saving four penalties along the way including in the shootout victory against France in the final.

Fifpro world XI:Thibaut Courtois; Achraf Hakimi, Virgil van Dijk, Joao Cancelo; Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Casemiro; Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe.