Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi was announced as the winner of The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award 2022 on Monday. Messi led Argentina to triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and he won Ligue 1 with PSG last season.
FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year Rankings:
1️⃣ Leo Messi: 52 points
2️⃣ Kylian Mbappé: 44 points
8️⃣ Achraf Hakimi: 15 points
9️⃣ Neymar Jr: 13 points #TheBestFIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/yHHxu1OsWk— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) February 27, 2023
Players, managers, fans, and the media all had a say in the voting for this prestigious honor. For one, captains from national teams were called on to vote for their top three for the award.
Messi, who is the captain of the Argentina national team, gave (via FIFA) Neymar a first-place vote for the award, followed by Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner also placed Neymar at first and Mbappe at second in the voting for this award in each of the past two years.
Messi was not the only player who handed out a first-place vote to Neymar, as Brazil national team captain Thiago Silva also picked the Brazilian forward to take home the honor.
Expect Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar to all be in contention for this award next year.
