Argentinian world champion Lionel Messi won the award for the best player of the year 2022 during the presentation of the Fifa Best Trophies on Monday in Paris. Among the women, it is the Spaniard Alexia Putellas, Ballon d’Or in 2021 and 2022 and already awarded by Fifa last year, who was elected by a jury composed of coaches, captains of national teams and journalists, a panel supplemented by a public vote on the internet.
Messi (35) received this distinction for the 3rd time after 2009 and 2019, succeeding Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, victorious in 2020 and 2021. The seven-time Ballon d’Or, who was in competition with the French Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema, was the big favorite of the evening organized Salle Pleyel, two and a half months after his world title in Qatar with Argentina, the only major title that was missing from his huge list.
The PSG superstar was not the only Argentinian to be honored since his coach Lionel Scaloni and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez were also awarded, respectively best coach of the year and best goalkeeper. The Argentinian goalkeeper obviously did not suffer from his obscene celebration at the end of the World Cup final, when he was already receiving his trophy as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, and from his numerous provocations, in particular at the regard to Mbappé, during the parties organized in Argentina on the return of the selection.
