Messi, Putellas earn 2022 FIFA best player awards
World Cup winner Lionel Messi edged Kylian Mbappé again, this time to take FIFA's best men's player award.
The best women's player was Spain's Alexia Putellas for a second straight year.
After steering Argentina to World Cup glory in an epic final against Mbappé's France last year in Qatar, Messi won the best player vote against Mbappé and Karim Benzema to secure the FIFA prize for the seventh time in 14 years.
Messi won the World Cup at his record-equaling fifth attempt.
“It was a crazy year for me,” Messi said. “I could fulfil my (World Cup) dream after fighting for it for so long. And in the end it happened, and it was the most beautiful thing of my career. It's the dream of every player, but very few can achieve it.”
The three players made the final shortlist in voting by a global panel of national team captains and coaches, selected journalists in each of FIFA's 211 member countries, plus fans online.
The 35-year-old Messi also beat Mbappé to the Golden Ball trophy awarded by FIFA for the World Cup's best player. Mbappé earned the Golden Boot as top scorer.
In the FIFA Awards vote, Messi had 52 points, Mbappé 44, and Benzema 34.
Mbappé, at 24 considered Messi's heir apparent on the world stage, made the shortlist for the first time. He was fourth in voting for the 2018 award, the year he led France to the World Cup title.
Real Madrid star Benzema won the more prestigious Ballon d'Or in October ahead of the World Cup. The France forward missed the tournament because of injury. Messi was not on the long list of Ballon d'Or candidates announced in August.
Putellas won her award ahead of Alex Morgan of the United States and Beth Mead, who led England to the European Championship title in 2022.
Barcelona playmaker Putellas made the top three again despite being injured days before the Euro and missing the tournament. She scored 34 goals across all competitions last season.
Morgan, a Diamond Bar High graduate who was second in the 2019 vote to teammate Megan Rapinoe, was player of the tournament when the U.S. won the CONCACAF W Championship last year. She was also the joint top scorer.
Mead was the joint top scorer at the Euro, and was named the tournament's best player. She sustained a serious knee injury in November while playing for Arsenal.