As if it was news to anyone, Lionel Messi won the 2022 The Best FIFA Men’s Player award, obtaining a well-deserved victory over Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe. For Messi it was the culmination of a storybook 2022 which finally saw the all-time great win the FIFA World Cup.
In an unforgettable gala for Argentine soccer, Messi was distinguished along with fellow countrymen Lionel Scaloni (Best Coach of the Year), Emiliano Martinez (Best Goalkeeper of the Year), and Fans of the Year also went to the Argentine supporters.
One of the many questions following an award ceremony that is voted by fellow peers is how did the voting break down. Below we highlight what Lionel Messi and some of the coaches and captains voted in 2022.
How Messi, players, and coaches voted in The Best 2022
The winner, Lionel Messi, voted his friend Neymar as the best player in 2022, very much a sympathy vote, followed by fellow teammate Kylian Mbappe and in third Karim Benzema. Brazil’s Thiago Silva seconded Messi’s vote by voting the same.
England’s Harry Kane put the Argentina and England rivalry to the side and gave his approval for Lionel Messi followed by Sadio Mane and Karim Benzema.
Lionel Messi is congratulated by Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA after being presented with the Best FIFA Men’s Payer 2022 award during The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 on February 27, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
Other top captains who voted for Messi were Sergio Busquets, Virgil van Dijk, Leonardo Bonucci, and Manuel Neuer.
When it came to coaches, Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni gave his vote to Messi followed by Julian Alvarez and then Luka Modric. The oddest vote was Spain’s Luis de la Fuente who voted Julian Alvarez as the best player in world soccer in 2022.
Other coaches who voted for Messi included, Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Roberto Mancini, Hansi Flick, and Gareth Southgate.
