Lionel Messi Cements GOAT Status with Historic FIFA Award
Lionel Messi has not only just won a World Cup. He now has seven FIFA Player of the Year awards, the most for any person of all time. ESPN revealed that he broke the tie for the record with female Brazilian legend Marta.
Messi breaks a tie with Marta for most FIFA Player of the Year awards, man or woman pic.twitter.com/v4dwZk9ViK
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 27, 2023
Messi won the award for the seventh time in Paris after he had a very good year last year, and that includes his winning season with Paris Saint-Germaine, as well, of course, winning the World Cup with Argentina. He also won the Finalissima, Ligue 1, and the Trophee des Champions. It had been a red-hot year for the Argentinian stats-wise as well, as he registered 17 goals and 18 assists in 41 games, according to The Express.
Lionel Messi Also Named to FIFPro World XI While Cristiano Ronaldo Fails to Join for 1st Time
While the Argentinian is still enjoying much success late in his career, his chief rival, Portuguese soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo is not looking as hot at the moment. After 15 straight years of being named in the FIFPro World XI, Ronaldo was not named, but Messi was.
2022 was not as good for Ronaldo, as not only did Portugal exit in an upset loss against Morocco, Ronaldo was pretty much benched for much of the tournament. He also exited Manchester United with much drama, as the aging superstar was not happy about being relegated to the bench. He is now playing for Saudi Arabian side Al Nasssr where he has become the most dominant force in the Saudi Arabian league. However, his relegation outside of Europe has been seen as a significant downgrade from one of Europe's most competitive leagues to a league that many say is not as star-studded.
READ MORE: Pelé Cause of Death Revealed
Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Karim Benzema, as well as Messi himself, have been named in the prestigious 11-man squad, while Thibaut Courtois was named the team's goalkeeper. As for the defenders, the ones chosen include Achraf Hakimi, Virgil van Dijk, and Joao Cancelo, as well as Casemiro, Kevin De Bruyne, and Luka Mordric.
✨ The 2022 FIFA FIFPRO Men's #World11:
— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) February 27, 2023
🇧🇪 @ThibautCourtois
🇵🇹 Joao Cancelo
🇳🇱 @VirgilvDijk
🇲🇦 @AchrafHakimi
🇧🇷 @Casemiro
🇧🇪 @KevinDeBruyne
🇭🇷 @LukaModric10
🇫🇷 @Benzema
🇳🇴 @ErlingHaaland
🇫🇷 @KMbappe
🇦🇷 Lionel Messi
Chosen by the players, for the players.#World11 | #TheBest pic.twitter.com/2ubkx98Hrh
Not everything has been bad for Ronaldo, though, as he has scored 10 goals in his first seven games, including that friendly match against Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and the rest of PSG.
Lionel Messi Makes Career Milestone With 700th Club Goal
On Sunday, as Paris Saint-Germaine aimed to take control of the title race in Ligue 1, Lionel Messi hit a career milestone in the club's dominating 3-0 win away victory against rival club Marseille. The Argentinian hit the 700th club goal of his career, catching up to his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who had previously been the only person to do so up to that point.
The match was a masterclass from Messi and Mbappe as the two World Cup finalists combined for all three of PSG's goals. According to CNN, the win extended the club's lead at the top of the Ligue-1 standings to eight points.
READ MORE: Lionel Messi Scolds Sergio Aguero During World Cup Celebrations
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
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