FIFA THE BEST
Who stands tallest tonight at FIFA ‘The Best Award’
Just like in the World Cup final, PSG teammates Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe will tonight go up against one another for The Best FIFA Men’s Player prize along with Qatar 2022 absentee, but Ballon d’Or holder, Karim Benzema as the other contender.
The ceremony takes place in Paris, and Messi appears as the favourite to add another individual gong to his collection after leading Argentina to glory over Mbappe’s France in that epic encounter in Qatar.
Messi has won the Ballon d’Or seven times and claimed the FIFA award inaugurated in 2016 following FIFA’s split with Ballon d’Or organisers France Football –- once in 2019.
In the last two years Messi has made the podium as Robert Lewandowski has won the title, but the 35-year-old’s career-crowning World Cup triumph was the defining moment of 2022.
The winner is decided by a jury comprised of the coach and captain of every Men’s national team and one journalist from each country, but fans can also vote.
Mbappe became the first player to score a World Cup final hat-trick since Geoff Hurst in 1966 as he dragged France to a 3-3 draw after extra time despite two goals by Messi – before they eventually succumbed in a shoot-out.
Mbappe, who turned 24 just after the final, was the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals, one more than Messi, who claimed the Golden Ball for best player.
He was also comfortably PSG’s most important player in the year leading up to the World Cup, despite being joined there by Messi – he was Ligue 1’s leading scorer and France’s player of the year.
However, their World Cup achievements overshadow everything else.
“Because Messi won the World Cup he has the biggest chance of winning, that’s a fact,” admitted Ruud Gullit, himself a former Ballon d’Or winner.
Dutchman Gullit was speaking in his role as a member of the Laureus Academy, which recently included Mbappe and Messi among the nominees for their own awards.
“But I have so much respect for Mbappe. For me he is on the same level. What he did in the final, to take that responsibility was unbelievable,” he added.
Benzema’s chances of winning another individual honour were hit after he missed the World Cup due to injury.
Exiled from the French team for five and a half years because of his involvement in a blackmail scandal over a sextape involving a former teammate, Benzema’s Ballon d’Or win last October had completed his own career redemption.
The Real Madrid striker, now 35, scored 44 goals in 46 games for his club last season, inspiring them to glory in the Champions League and LaLiga.
He has continued to bang in the goals this season.
“I am really, really proud of my journey,” he declared after claiming the Ballon d’Or.
Current Ballon d’Or Alexia Putellas, who won the Best award last year, is again nominated for the women’s prize, despite being out since July with a knee injury.
England forward Beth Mead and US star Alex Morgan are the other finalists.
Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni is up for the men’s coach’s honour along with Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola.
Sarina Wiegman, who won Euro 2022 with England, is up for the women’s coach award with Sonia Bompastor of Lyon and Brazil’s Pia Sundhage.
Brazil star Richarlison’s World Cup strike against Serbia is one of three nominees for the Puskas Award for best goal, named after Hungary great Ferenc Puskas.
Marseille’s Dimitri Payet and Polish amputee player Marcin Oleksy are also nominated, while there is also a category for the best male and female goalkeeper.
Argentine Lionel Messi retained the FIFA men’s player of the year trophy on Monday, beating Manchester City’s treble-winning Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and France’s Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe to the award.
Spain’s 2023 World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati was voted the best women’s player of the year.
Messi, who also secured the men’s award in 2022 after guiding Argentina to World Cup victory, clinched the Ligue 1 title with PSG alongside Mbappe following that success, before moving to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
The 36-year-old, voted the best player by national teams coaches, captains, journalists and fans, helped Inter Miami win the 2023 Leagues Cup — a competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX sides — scoring 10 goals.
Messi was not present to collect the trophy.
The award period for the men’s prize ran from Dec. 19, 2022 to Aug. 20, 2023, and started the day after the World Cup final in Qatar.
Haaland, who helped City clinch a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles by scoring 52 goals in 53 matches across all competitions in the 2022-23 season, finished second in the voting.
The 23-year-old had the same points as Messi but lost out by having fewer first-place votes from national team captains.
City’s Pep Guardiola won the Best Men’s Coach award. The Spaniard, who before winning the treble with City last term had achieved the same feat at Barcelona in 2008-09, dedicated his award to fellow nominees Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti.
Inzaghi guided Inter Milan to the 2023 Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to City, while Spalletti won Serie A with Napoli to end the club’s 33-year wait for the title.
Sarina Wiegman claimed the Best Women’s coach prize after leading England to the World Cup final where they lost 1-0 to Spain.
Seven of her Lionesses were included in the Women’s World XI, including Mary Earps, who also took the Best Women’s Goalkeeper Award.
Brazil’s Manchester City keeper Ederson won the men’s award.
-Reuters
Argentine Lionel Messi retained the FIFA men’s player of the year trophy on Monday, beating Manchester City’s treble-winning Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and France’s Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe to the award.
Spain’s 2023 World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati was voted the best women’s player of the year.
Messi, who also secured the men’s award in 2022 after guiding Argentina to World Cup victory, clinched the Ligue 1 title with PSG alongside Mbappe following that success, before moving to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
The 36-year-old, voted the best player by national teams coaches, captains, journalists and fans, helped Inter Miami win the 2023 Leagues Cup — a competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX sides — scoring 10 goals.
Messi was not present to collect the trophy.
The award period for the men’s prize ran from Dec. 19, 2022 to Aug. 20, 2023, and started the day after the World Cup final in Qatar.
Haaland, who helped City clinch a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles by scoring 52 goals in 53 matches across all competitions in the 2022-23 season, finished second in the voting.
The 23-year-old had the same points as Messi but lost out by having fewer first-place votes from national team captains.
City’s Pep Guardiola won the Best Men’s Coach award. The Spaniard, who before winning the treble with City last term had achieved the same feat at Barcelona in 2008-09, dedicated his award to fellow nominees Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti.
Inzaghi guided Inter Milan to the 2023 Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to City, while Spalletti won Serie A with Napoli to end the club’s 33-year wait for the title.
Sarina Wiegman claimed the Best Women’s coach prize after leading England to the World Cup final where they lost 1-0 to Spain.
Seven of her Lionesses were included in the Women’s World XI, including Mary Earps, who also took the Best Women’s Goalkeeper Award.
Brazil’s Manchester City keeper Ederson won the men’s award.
-Reuters
As the Africa’s premier sports event, the Africa Cup of Nations gets into its third matchday in Cote d’Ivoire, the City of London will be hosting the 2023 FIFA best Awards.
The prizes will be for best men’s player and best women’s player from last season. It is the equivalent of France Football’s Ballon d’Or. Last year,
Argentina’s mercurial footballer, Lionel Messi was the main winner as he was the hero of Argentina’s World Cup win in the previous year. Again, he is among the top three tonight, contesting with his former club mate at PSG, Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City in-form striker, Erling Haaland.
Barcelona and Spain star Alexia Putellas won best women’s player. But it is Spain’s Women’s World Cup winner, Aitana Bonmati who is highly favoured to win the women’s prize.
It will be all Spanish stars on the podium as the two other shortlists are Barcelona’s Jenni Hermoso and Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo.
The period in which achievements are considered for the men’s awards is from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023 – so excluding the 2022 World Cup – while for women’s awards it is the period from from 1 August 2022 to 20 August 2023.
Other awards to be handed out at the London ceremony will be, best men’s and women’s goalkeeper, best men’s and women’s coach, the Puskas Award for best goal, the Fifa fair play award, and the Fifa fan award.
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