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Lionel Messi had the audience in stitches at the end of his acceptance speech after winning the Best FIFA Men's Player award for the second time.
Messi followed up his 2019 success by winning his 77th coveted individual prize after a stellar 2022 where he led Argentina to a stunning World Cup triumph.
His seven goals saw him pick up the Golden Ball award in the Qatar showpiece. And he's been in fine form for PSG, scoring 17 times and registering 18 assists.
The 35-year-old was widely expected to win and did so by an absolute landslide, with fans, players and coaches voting to give him an overall 52 points.
Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe came second with 44 and 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema finished third on 35 points.
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Messi collected the prize from Gianni Infantino at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris and was humble as ever in his speech, thanking his competitor and teammates for helping him win the gong.
However, he finished off with a message to his three children by telling Thiago, Mateo and Ciro it was bedtime.
“It’s a pleasure to be here again, with Benzema, with Kylian, as both of them had a great year”, he said, as per Football Espana.
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"This is an honour for me. I want to thank my colleagues, including my manager [Lionel] Scaloni, and we’re here representing them all as we would not be here without them.
“It recognises the role they played in what we achieved.
“It’s been a crazy year for me. I have achieved my dream, after so much fighting, and so much determination to win it.
Winning the World Cup is the most beautiful thing that has happened in my career. It’s a dream for many, but few can win it.
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“I want to thank my family, the people of Argentina, as it will remain in our memories forever.
“I want to send a kiss to my children, who are watching this, Thiago Mateo and Ciro, I love you…… now go to bed!”
As Argentina captain, Messi was able to vote in a slew of FIFA awards. And as per FIFA’s official website, Messi selected his PSG colleagues Neymar and Mbappe as his first two picks, with Benzema coming in third.
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Messi was also named in the FIFPRO Men’s World 11, while his Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni won the Best Coach award.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Argentina
Josh Lawless