Lionel Messi, 35, was voted best football player of the year 2022 on Monday evening at the gala “The Best FIFA Football Awards” organized Monday evening in Paris.
The 35-year-old Argentinian, who won his first World Cup on December 18 in Qatar, was preferred to the French Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) and Kylian Mbappé (PSG), the two other finalists.
A Paris Saint-Germain player himself, Messi, who won a record 7 Ballons d’Or, won the FIFA trophy for the third time after 2009 and 2019. He was playing with FC Barcelona at the time. Between 2010 and 2015 the FIFA trophy was linked to the Ballon d’Or and the captain of the Argentina team won it four times (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015). He succeeds the Best FIFA winners to the Polish Roberto Lewandowski rewarded in 2020 and 2021.
Emiliano Martinez preferred to Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois, goalkeeper for the Devils and Real Madrid, was not chosen as the best player in this position in 2022.
The prize went to Emiliano Martinez, world champion with Argentina, and Aston Villa goalkeeper. Moroccan Yassine Bounou was the 3rd finalist.
Courtois had obtained this award for the best goalkeeper in the world awarded by FIFA in 2018 while defending the colors of Chelsea.
Courtois, who received the Yachine Prize for the best goalkeeper awarded as part of the 2022 Ballon d’Or, was not present at the ceremony as was the whole of Real Madrid, European and club world champions.
Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois named FIFA Team of the Year 2022
Two Red Devils, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) and playmaker Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) are among the eleven players who make up the best team of the year 2022 according to the international football federation.
The other nine players are Moroccan Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Dutch Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Portuguese Joao Cancelo (Bayern Munich), Croatian Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Brazilian Casemiro (Manchester United), Argentinian Lionel Messi (PSG), Frenchmen Kylian Mbappé (PSG) and Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) and Norwegian Erling Haaland (Manchester City).
Spain’s Alexia Putellas crowned best player of 2022 by FIFA
Spanish striker Alexia Putellas was crowned best player of the year 2022 at the awards ceremony.
Putellas, Ballon d’Or in 2021 and 2022 and already crowned by FIFA in 2021, beat Beth Mead, European champion with England last year, and American Alex Morgan.
Winners of the “FIFA Best” Trophies
gentlemen
Best Player: Lionel Messi (Arg)
Best Coach: Lionel Scaloni (Arg)
Best goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez (Arg)
Puskas Award for Best Goal: Marcin Oleksy (Pol)
the XI of the year: Courtois – Hakimi, Van Dijk, Cancelo – De Bruyne, Modric, Casemiro, Messi – Mbappé, Benzema, Haaland
Dames
Best Player: Alexia Putellas (Esp)
Best coach: Sarina Wiegman (Eng)
Best goalkeeper: Mary Earps (Eng)
The XI of the year: Endler – Bronze, Leon, Williamson, Renard – Walsh, Oberdorf, Kerr – Morgan, Mead, Putellas