The debate over Lionel Messi’s superiority over eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo is finally over. Lionel Messi finally filled in the only gap on his CV with Argentina’s World Cup victory.
Because of some goal-scoring records and individual accolades, some might assert that the Portuguese talisman still leads the Argentine maestro. As an example, Ronaldo has won the FIFA Men’s Player Award twice, whereas Messi has only won it once.
Ronaldo, however, did not make the cut after a horrible 2022 which saw his Manchester United career come to an end. Besides he was also humiliated at the World Cup in Qatar where he lost his starting role.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi unsurprisingly made it to the nominees for the FIFA Best Men’s Player award.
List of nominees for the award besides Lionel Messi
In the race for the Best Men’s Player award, Messi joins Kylian Mbappe, Champions League winner Karim Benzema, Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland, and last year’s winner Robert Lewandowski on the shortlist released by FIFA on Thursday. Also, Messi’s Argentinian teammate Julian Alvarez, and Neymar of PSG are on the list. Others include Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior as well as Jude Bellingham, Mohamed Salah, and Sadio Mane.
Lionel Messi stands out among the rest. The Argentina captain became the first footballer in history to win the Golden Ball twice at the World Cup after netting seven goals in seven games in Qatar. Additionally, he is the only player to record at least an assist in five World Cups.
Also, Brazil’s Alisson Becker, Ederson, and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez are on the list for the Best Men’s Goalkeeper award.
The nominees for Best Men’s Coach include Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, France’s Didier Deschamps, and Morocco’s Walid Regragui. Especially Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni is also on the list who won a Copa America and a World Cup in two years.
Before the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in February, the three finalists in each category will be announced.
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