PARIS (AFP) – World champion Lionel Messi defeated Kylian Mbappe once again, this time to become FIFA’s best player on Monday.
The best player was Spain’s Alexia Puteras for the second time in a row.
After leading Argentina to the World Cup title last year in Qatar in an epic final against Mbappe’s France, Messi won the best player award against Mbappe and Karim Benzema for the seventh time in 14 years. I won an award.
He won the world championship in his record-breaking fifth attempt.
The three players were shortlisted after being voted for by a global jury of national team captains and coaches, selected journalists from each of FIFA’s 211 member countries, and his fans online. rice field. The 35-year-old Messi defeated Mbappe, who was seeking his first FIFA best player award, in FIFA’s Golden Ball trophy for the best player of the World Cup. Mbappe won the Golden Boot as top scorer.
Robert Lewandowski has won the FIFA award for the past two years and Cristiano Ronaldo has been left off his 14-man shortlist for the first time this year.
Messi has been named the world’s top men’s XI for the 16th time, matching Ronaldo’s record. The team includes Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Portugal’s Joao Cancelo, Netherlands’ Virgil van Dijk, Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne, Croatia’s Luka Modrić, Brazil’s Casemiro and Norway’s It included Erling Haaland, France’s Mbappe and Benzema. Earlier Monday, French prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation into rape allegations against Paris Saint-Germain lawyer Hakimi.
Messi has named his former Barcelona teammate Neymar as the best player. Only Thiago Silva of Brazil voted for Neymar.
The Russian coach and captain were not prevented from voting for the award.
Pteras picked up the award from USA’s Alex Morgan and Beth Meade, who led England to his 2022 European Championship title. Barcelona playmaker Pteras is back in the top three despite missing the tournament following an injury a few days before the Euros. She scored her 34 goals in all competitions last season.
Morgan, who finished her second in her 2019 poll behind her teammate Megan Rapinoe, was named Tournament of the Players as the United States won her CONCACAF W her championship last year. . She was also a joint top scorer.
Prior to this, Argentine coach Lionel Scaroni was named FIFA Coach of the Year after leading his team to the World Cup title in December. The Women’s Coach Award went to Salina Wiegman, who led the British women to the European Women’s Championship title.
Scaroni took over Argentina on a provisional basis at the end of 2018, but was widely criticized for his inexperience as he had never coached a professional team.His contract as national coach expires on Monday until the end of the 2026 World Cup. has been extended.
Other shortlisted managers were Real Madrid’s Carlo his Ancelotti and Manchester City’s Pep his Guardiola.
The women’s goalkeeper award went to Euro winner Mary Arps of England, while the best men’s goalkeeper was Argentina’s world champion Emiliano Martinez. The Paris event was marked by a tribute to Pele, who died late last year at the age of 82 after a battle with colon cancer. I received a trophy in honor of the great man of the world.
“I have three things to say to the God who gave us Edson. To Edson who gave us Pele. And to the world who received them so favorably:
Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said.
