Image Credit: The Japan Times
In a glittering ceremony in Paris, Lionel Messi was named the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year for the second time, beating out fellow French footballers Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema for the coveted award. Messi had a fantastic year, captaining Argentina to their third World Cup title in Qatar and scoring an impressive 27 goals in 49 games for both club and country in the 2021-2022 season.
The Barcelona captain acknowledged the contribution of his teammates in his acceptance speech, saying that he wouldn't have won the award without them. He described achieving his dream of winning the World Cup as something that only a few people can accomplish, and he considers himself fortunate to be among that group.
Barcelona's Alexia Putellas was named the Best FIFA Women's Player of the Year at the same ceremony. England's Sarina Wiegman was named the Best FIFA Women's Coach of the Year after leading the Lionesses to their first major trophy at the European Championship on home soil. Lionel Scaloni, who guided Argentina to World Cup victory, was named the Best FIFA Men's Coach of the Year, beating out Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti for the award.
Emiliano Martinez, who helped Argentina win the World Cup, was named the Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper, while England's Mary Earps won the Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper award. Amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy, who scored a stunning overhead volley against Stal Rzeszow while using his crutches, won the FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal of the year. The recipient of the FIFA Fair Play Award was Luka Lochoshvili, who held the tongue of his opponent, Georg Teigl, to save his life after he fell unconscious.
The Best FIFA Awards are an annual event that recognizes the best players, coaches, and goals of the year. This year's ceremony was held in Paris and was attended by some of the biggest names in football
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