Lionel Messi
is the greatest winner of the Ballon d'Or. He has seven trophies that he treasures at his home in Paris.
But the same does not happen to him with
The Best
, the award that
FIFA has organized since its separation from
France Football
magazine
and in which he is a finalist for the delivery on Monday, February 27, as announced this Friday.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the first The Best in history for the best player of the season in 2016, six trophies have been awarded but Leo has only won one, collecting three second places and one third place.
Only in 2018 did he not make the shortlist
, after a disappointing performance by Argentina in the World Cup in Russia.
There, the competitors were Luka Modric (chosen the best), Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.
The only The Best that shines in his showcase is the one from 2019
, when he beat the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, winner of the first two editions, and the Dutchman Virgil Van Dijk, who for many should have been the winner but came second.
Messi with The Best award in what was still a family of four, with Antonela and her sons Thiago and Mateo.
Photo Marco Bertorello / POOL / AFP
In that 2018-19 season, Leo had been champion of the Spanish League, finalist in the Copa del Rey and semifinalist in the Champions League with Barcelona, in addition to having converted 54 goals in 58 games between the Spanish club and the Argentine national team. .
After Robert Lewandowski won it in 2021 and 2022, nobody seems to be in a position to get The Best from Messi after achieving the long-awaited World Cup consecration in Qatar.
His rivals, precisely, will be two Frenchmen, although one was not in the final in Doha.
They are
Kylian Mbappé
, figure of that match and top scorer of the FIFA event, and
Karim Benzema
, the great absence of the French national team as a result of an injury suffered a few days before the start of the World Cup.
In its report on the three finalists, FIFA highlighted that "Messi is the only player who has scored in the World Cup in his teens, twenties and thirties", since in Qatar he reached his fifth World Cup at the age of 35.
"Messi delivered
a series of spellbinding performances
that led Argentina to 2022 FIFA World Cup glory. The brilliant number 10 was
Argentina's talisman in Qatar
, scoring seven goals - including a brace in that unforgettable final victory over France - and giving three assists during the tournament. His teammates also often mentioned his leadership as an essential factor in the success of the team", summarized the website of the highest soccer body.
According to FIFA, "Messi's inspiring influence was evident when he received the Ballon d'Or for the best player in the competition."
That day, Leo, who also won the award in Brazil 2014,
became the first player to receive it twice
.
Likewise, the PSG striker also overtook German Lothar Matthaus as the record holder for World Cup appearances.
Leo also entered the final shortlist for being a key player for PSG in the consecration of Ligue 1 in his first season.
"However," FIFA stressed, "
Messi's World Cup triumph defined his year
as he lit up football's biggest stage and lifted the trophy he coveted above all others."
look too
Surprise at The Best's Puskas award for the best goal of the year: a footballer with an amputated leg among the three finalists
Papu Gómez and a shocking photo before undergoing surgery: "I gave everything for the World Cup and my ankle is paying for it"
