“Lucky enough to win every trophy in my career” – Lionel Messi reacts after being named FIFA The Best men’s player for 2023
PSG star Lionel Messi said he's 'lucky' to win every trophy in his career after picking up FIFA's 'The Best' award on Monday night (February 27).
The Argentine pipped his teammate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema to the prize at the ceremony in Paris last night. With 52 points, he came in first, which was expected following his 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph in Qatar last December.
Messi powered Argentina to their third title in the competition, and a first since 1986, scoring seven goals and making two assists. After lifting the trophy, the 35-year-old admitted that winning the World Cup was 'special' and was eagerly looking forward to playing with the national team once again.
During his speech, Messi said (via Roy Nemer):
"I've been lucky enough to win every trophy in my career. To finish with the World Cup was special. I am very anxious to play the matches with the national team. Seeing the fans again will be similar to when we saw them for the Copa America."
In 2021, Lionel Messi finally broke his international trophy drought to win the Copa America as Argentina beat defending champions Brazil in the finals.
Exactly a year later, the Albiceleste beat Italy to win the Finalissima, before clinching the ultimate prize in football at the end of 2022. Within a span of just 18 months, the former Barcelona star went from having zero international titles to three.
Lionel Messi: "I've been lucky enough to win every trophy in my career. To finish with the World Cup was special. I am very anxious to play the matches with the national team. Seeing the fans again will be similar to when we saw them for the Copa America." Via @TNTSportsAR. 🇦🇷 https://t.co/5tI5pjU0pb
Lionel Messi has also been on a great run of form for PSG this season, scoring 17 goals and making 16 assists from 28 games in all competitions.
Mbappe, who was the top-scorer at the World Cup with eight goals, including a sensational hat-trick in the finals, came second with 44 points. His former French teammate Benzema also had a trophy-laden year with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga and Champions League, and finished third.
Ballon d'Or incoming for Lionel Messi?
While we are still about eight months away from the 2023 Ballon d'Or, Lionel Messi is currently the frontrunner for the prize, courtesy of his sensational World Cup triumph.
In addition to that, he's also having a fantastic individual campaign at PSG too, and winning a few trophies at the end of the season might as well cement his name on the Golden Ball.
He could face competition from Kylian Mbappe, though, who also had a hugely successful campaign in Qatar and has been firing at all cylinders for the Parisians too. Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski are some other players that could emerge as favorites going forward.
Lionel Messi has just won his record 7th FIFA The Best Player award! 
🚨 Lionel Messi has just won his record 7th FIFA The Best Player award! 🏆
✅ 🏆 7 FIFA Best Player
✅ 🏆 7 Ballon d’Or
NO OTHER player has 6 of either 🐐 https://t.co/ht0gs45sLU