Lionel Messi and Alexia Putellas voted greatest gamers at FIFA awards

World Cup winner Lionel Messi edged Kylian Mbappé once more, this time to take FIFA’s greatest males’s participant award on Monday.

The greatest ladies’s participant was Spain’s Alexia Putellas for a second straight 12 months.

After steering Argentina to World Cup glory in an epic ultimate towards Mbappé’s France final 12 months in Qatar, Messi gained one of the best participant vote towards Mbappé and Karim Benzema to safe the FIFA prize for the seventh time in 14 years.

The three gamers made the ultimate shortlist in voting by a worldwide panel of nationwide staff captains and coaches, chosen journalists in every of FIFA’s 211 member nations, plus followers on-line.

The 35-year-old Messi additionally beat Mbappé — who was searching for his first greatest participant award from FIFA — to the Golden Ball trophy awarded by FIFA for the World Cup’s greatest participant.

🏆 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜 🏆
#TheFinest FIFA Men’s Player Award 2022 goes to Lionel Messi! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/HXEugVH1t9

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) February 27, 2023

Putellas gained her award from Alex Morgan of the United States and Beth Mead, who led England to the European Championship title in 2022.

Barcelona playmaker Putellas made the highest three once more regardless of being injured days earlier than the Euro and lacking the match.

Mead was the joint prime scorer on the Euro, and was named the match’s greatest participant. She sustained a severe knee harm in November whereas taking part in for Arsenal and will miss the Women’s World Cup in July in Australia and New Zealand.

Morgan, who was second within the 2019 vote to teammate Megan Rapinoe, was participant of the match when the U.S. gained the CONCACAF W Championship final 12 months. She was additionally the joint prime scorer.

On prime of the world. 💫
@alexiaputellas has been topped #TheFinest FIFA Women’s Player 2022! pic.twitter.com/Wtcgg8SUmO

— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) February 27, 2023

Earlier, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was voted FIFA males’s coach of the 12 months after main his staff to the World Cup title in December.

The ladies’s coach award went to Sarina Wiegman, who led the England to the title on the Women’s European Championship.

Scaloni took over Argentina on the finish of 2018 on an interim foundation, and was extensively criticized for missing expertise as he had by no means coached an expert staff. Earlier Monday, his contract because the nationwide staff coach was prolonged to the top of the 2026 World Cup.

The different coaches on the shortlist have been Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola.

The ladies’s goalkeeper award was given to Euro winner Mary Earps of England, and one of the best males’s goalkeeper was Argentina’s World Cup winner Emiliano Martínez.

The occasion in Paris was marked by tributes to Pelé, who died late final 12 months at age 82 following a battle with colon most cancers. Pelé’s spouse, Marcia Aoki, obtained a trophy honoring the soccer nice from the fingers of former Brazil striker Ronaldo.

“I have three words to say to God, who gave us Edson, to Edson, who gave us Pelé, and to the world, who received them so well: ‘Grateful, grateful and grateful,’” she mentioned.