Lionel Messi was named The Best FIFA Men’s player for 2022 at a ceremony in Paris on Monday night.
It was the second time that Messi had won this award in particular – his last triumph came in 2019 after leading Barcelona to another La Liga title
Unlike the Ballon d’Or – which is only voted on by select members of the media – FIFA’s The Best awards are voted on by players and coaches, too.
The captain and manager of every national team are able to vote for their top three, with first place receiving five points, second receiving three points and third receiving one point.
As the captain of Argentina, Messi was able to have a say on the awards, though was unable to vote for himself.
He picked a surprise player to win The Best FIFA Men’s award, with PSG teammate and close friend Neymar – the only other captain to hand him a first-place vote was Brazil’s Thiago Silva.
Messi’s second-place vote went to another PSG colleague in Kylian Mbappe, who ended up finishing one place behind the Argentine.
Real Madrid and France striker Karim Benzema was the recipient of Messi’s third and final vote.
Messi’s votes for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach award saw him hand five points to Argentina manager and eventual winner Lionel Scaloni, three points to Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and one to France’s Didier Deschamps.
The forward also stood by a compatriot for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award. Argentina’s Emi Martinez won the gong and was also Messi’s first-place pick, with Thibaut Courtois and Yassine Bounou receiving his other votes.
