Lionel Messi was crowned the best player in men’s football by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) a few months after winning his first World Cup for Argentina in Qatar last year. Messi was nominated for the prize alongside his Paris Saint Germain (PSG) teammate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema.
After five years of collaborating with the Ballon d’Or, FIFA started to present the special award at its events.
The PSG superstar lifted the trophy of the Best FIFA Men’s Player for the second time after 2019 in Barcelona. In total, he has won the title seven times. Messi’s outstanding performance in men’s football from August 2021 to December 2022 was cited while giving him the trophy at Salle Pleyel in Paris.
Back in 2007, Messi made his debut at the FIFA awards. At that time, he was second place behind Kaka in the rankings for FIFA World Player of the Year. Fifteen years after his debut, the former Barcelona captain was named the world player of the year once again. He has won the award seven times. Messi has now won the FIFA World Player of the Year title in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2023.
Spain’s Alexi Putellas was named the FIFA best female player for the second year in a row. Lionel Scaloni, the manager of the Argentina team that won the World Cup, was named the FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year. He won over Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid for the title.
Emiliano Martnez, the goalkeeper who helped Argentina win the World Cup, was named as the best goalkeeper at the FIFA awards. Marcin Oleksy, a Polish amputee, was awarded the Puskas prize after he scored a stunning volley during a match against Stal Rzeszow.