"The greatest to ever walk on a football pitch" , "The GOAT" - Fans hail Lionel Messi after he wins The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year award
Football fans across the globe are all signing praise for Lionel Messi after the Argentine icon picked up FIFA's 'The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year' award. It was the seventh time the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) attacker has won the award.
Messi beat his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema to the award. He captained Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in December. He scored a total of 27 goals in 49 games for club and country during the 2021-22 season.
It capped off a remarkable year for the attacker, who lifted the World Cup for the first time in his career. He scored seven goals and contributed three assists during the tournament in the Middle East. Messi was also handed the Golden Ball for his exploits in the competition.
The former Barcelona attacker is used to winning awards. The FIFA award is yet another trophy to add to his glistening trophy cabinet, which also consists of seven Ballons d'Or.
However, he spoke of his pride in winning the World Cup when giving his speech at the awards ceremony in Paris. He said (via BBC Sport):
"I achieved the dream I had been hoping for for so long. Very few people can achieve that and I have been lucky to do so."
Fans have reacted joyously to Lionel Messi's latest achievement. One fan hailed him as:
"LIONEL MESSI HAS DONE IT, THE GREATEST FOOTBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME! THE BEST."
Another fan has said that the GOAT debate is over:
“At this point you need to accept that Lionel Messi is the goat.”
Here's how Twitter reacted to Messi picking up his seventh FIFA Men's Player of the Year award:
MESSI TAKES HOME THE BEST FIFA MEN'S PLAYER AWARD 🏆
King of trophies 🐐 https://t.co/IsNYxLB0IZ
Just the GOAT thing 🐐🇦🇷 https://t.co/igrT7PORsq
LIONEL MESSI HAS DONE IT, THE GREATEST FOOTBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME! THE BEST. ✨🏆
@ReshadRahman_ LEO MESSI. The greatest there is. The greatest there was. The greatest there ever will be. 🐐
@ReshadRahman_ Goat common knowledge
Lionel Andrés Messi! The greatest to ever walk on a football pitch
LETS GO MESSI! much deserved❤️🇦🇷 https://t.co/cj1pg7bvER
The best in the world 🤍🤴#Messi𓃵 https://t.co/J2JrHKCBrv
twitter.com/Sobuujj/status… Tha GOAT
“At this point you need to accept that Lionel Messi is the goat ” https://t.co/aHw6Fi3JEb
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez on the impact Argentina captain Lionel Messi has had on him
Fernandez has lauded the influence Messi has had on him during his career. He told Chelsea's official website that he has always looked up to the PSG attacker:
"I've always said Leo Messi was a player I look up to. I've always tried to learn from him. He's a great person and has given me love and support within the team."
Fernandez was part of the Argentina side that lifted the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with Messi leading the side to the trophy. The midfielder featured seven times, scoring one goal and providing an assist.
The Argentine's impressive performances during the World Cup earned him a blockbuster move to Chelsea in January. The Blues broke the British transfer record to sign him from Benfica for £106.8 million.