Why Lionel Messi is the favorite to win FIFA’s ‘The Best’ award

Proclaimed world champion with Argentina, Lionel Messi is the heavy favorite to win the best player award at Monday’s FIFA ‘The Best’ awards ceremony in Paris.

The PSG superstar (35) has finally secured the supreme title with his country that was missing from his illustrious record and is in the best position to win the favor of the jury, made up of coaches, national team captains and journalists, as well as from the online public vote.

If he wins the award, Messi would achieve the distinction for the third time in his career, after 2009 and 2019, and would succeed Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, the current double winner in 2020 and 2021.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will compete with two Frenchmen, his Parisian colleague Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema. The first, top scorer of the 2022 World Cup with 8 goals, left his mark in the World Cup final with a hat-trick for the legend despite the defeat on penalties against Albiceleste (3-3; 4-2 on penalties). Benzema, for his part, was the great architect of Real Madrid’s 14th Champions League, the fifth of his career, and is sanctioned by the conquest of the last Ballon d’Or.

The World Cup in Qatar could be the decisive element of a gala that will take place in the Sala Pleyel of the French capital, and allow the Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni win the award for best coach, even if the forecasts are more uncertain given the competition from the Italian Carlo Ancelotti, winner of the Champions League with Real Madrid. Spain’s Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) is the other appointed manager.

The decisive saves of Emiliano Martinez in the penalty session of the World Cup final make the Argentinian a possible winner of the best goalkeeper award, but the Aston Villa player could be harmed by his obscene celebration at the end of the game, when it comes to receiving his best goalkeeper trophy goalkeeper of the tournament, and for his numerous provocations, especially with Mbappé with the object of the same, during the celebration of the title in Argentina.

It won’t be easy either against the Belgian Thibaut Courtois, who multiplied his saves in the Champions League final with Real Madrid, and against the Sevilla and Morocco goalkeeper (World Cup semifinalist) Yassine Bounou.

As if that weren’t enough, Argentina is nominated for best supporters at The Best awards. The motivations? On the one hand all the fans who flocked to Qatar and accompanied La Scaleneta on his way to the title and on the other the millions of people who filled the streets in every corner of the country to celebrate every victory and burst with emotion when they raised the cup.

From the official FIFA website they said: “The journey from Argentina to Qatar is not exactly short, but fans of the Albiceleste have come in large numbers to Doha since the start of the championship to support Lionel Messi in his latest attempt to win the ‘only trophy that remained elusive until then”.

Women’s soccer awards

In the women’s category, Spain’s Alexia Putellas, holder of the title and Ballon d’Or 2022, can reconfirm her crown, but the FC Barcelona midfielder will have to contend with Beth Mead, last year’s European champion with England, and the American Alex Morgan, the latter in the background in betting.

Among the coaches, French Sonia Bompastor, winner of the Women’s Champions League with Lyon, Brazil coach Pia Sundhage, and Sarina Wiegman, England coach, are the three finalists.

The prize for the best archer will be played between German Ann-Katrin Berger, English Mary Earps and Chilean Christiane Endler.

For the Puskas Award for the best goal of the year, the candidates are the Polish Marcin Oleksy, footballer with one leg amputated (Warta Poznan-Stal Rzeszow), the Frenchman of Olympique de Marseille Dimitri Payet, and the Brazilian Richarlison, thanks to his goal in Brazil-Serbia of the last World Cup in Qatar.