Lionel Messi has won another distinguished accolade for the first time in his illustrious career following his World Cup victory with Argentina.
Messi steered La Albiceste to defeat France in the World Cup final via penalties, scoring two goals in regular time while fellow teammate Kylian Mbappe netted a hat-trick for the losing team.
The 35-year-old contributed with seven goals and three assists, starring in the tournament as he scooped the Golden Boy award.
Messi amassed an astonishing 808 points to win the award, while his club colleague Mbappe finished runner-up with 381 points. Rafael Nadal was third after scoring 285 points. and Basketball star Steph Curry all made it into the top ten
Messi has been named the ‘World’s Best Player’ for 2022 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
He beat competition from PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, whom Messi beat to the World Cup trophy, and current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema to win the accolade.
Aside from edging the aforementioned names for the accolade, Messi was also named the winner of the IFFHS World’s Best International Goal Scorer 2022 Award.
