Lionel Messi favourite to win FIFA Best Player Award

Former Barcelona superstar and current PSG ace Lionel Messi is the favourite to win the FIFA Best Player Award for 2022, reports journalist Sergio Fernandez.

The FIFA Gala is set to take place on Monday, February 27, where the governing body of football will hand out awards for the outstanding achievers of the game from last year.

Real Madrid captain and superstar Karim Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or for 2022, is among the nominees, having helped the Merengues to the UEFA Champions League and La Liga titles last season.

Benzema’s teammates Luka Modric and Vinicius Jr are also among the nominated players. PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe is also in the running for the FIFA Best Men’s Player Award, as is Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.

However, as things stand, it appears that it is Mbappe’s PSG teammate and former Barcelona ace Messi, who is the favourite to lift the honour.

The 35-year-old enjoyed a great 2022 as he won the Ligue 1 title with PSG, making valuable contributions along the way.

But the cherry on top came in December when he led Argentina to the FIFA World Cup 2022 triumph in Qatar.

Messi finished the tournament with the Golden Ball, and now seems poised to win the FIFA Best Player of the Year Award for 2022 as well.

The 35-year-old has been in the news a great deal of late due to his uncertain future in Paris. Messi’s contract with PSG expires at the end of the season and while it appeared that he could prolong his stay at one point, it does not seem that way any longer.

Barcelona, for their part, are keen on re-signing Messi and it remains to be seen how that pursuit fares over the coming months.

For now, the World Cup winner looks set to celebrate another personal accolade come Monday.