Huge FIFA Awards leak as winner of Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe vs Karim Benzema battle revealed before ceremony
The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 is scheduled for February 28, and will be in Paris. PSG stars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema were announced as the finalists for The Best FIFA Men's Player Award, and fans are eagerly waiting to see who claims the prestigious trophy. Messi was in brilliant form last year, putting in a better display for PSG after a disappointing first season. To end the year on a high, he also led Argentina to FIFA World Cup 2022 victory in Qatar, defeating Mbappe's France in the final. Meanwhile, Mbappe won the 2021-22 Ligue 1 title with PSG, and also helped France to a runner-up finish in the World Cup, almost defeating Argentina single-handedly.
On the other hand, Benzema won the Ballon d'Or last year, leading Real Madrid to the La Liga, UEFA Champions League and Club World Cup titles. Missing out on the World Cup due to injury, Benzema has bounced back and played a crucial role in his side's 5-2 victory against Liverpool in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg, scoring a brace.
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According to Argentinian journalist Francesc Aguilar, Lionel Messi is set to win The Best FIFA Men's Player Award. Aguilar reported that FIFA want to remind Ballon d'Or organisers that they didn't nominate Messi for their award last year.
With Christophe Galtier appointed as the new PSG manager, Messi has bagged 16 goals and 14 assists in 27 appearances across all competitions. In Qatar, Messi scored seven goals, including two in the final against France.
In the final against France, Argentina sealed a 4-2 win in penalties after the match ended in a 3-3 draw. In a closely-fought final, the CONMEBOL side first took the lead in the 23rd-minute through captain Messi, who converted a penalty after Angel Di Maria was fouled in the French box. After that, a quick counter-attack in the 36th-minute saw Alexis MacAllister assist Di Maria, who made it 2-0.
With Argentina cruising to an easy win, Kylian Mbappe came to France's rescue and staged a comeback. Mbappe levelled proceedings within 97 seconds, scoring a penalty in the 80th-minute after Kolo Muani was brought down in the Argentine box. Then in the 81st-minute, Mbappe made it 2-2 with a stunning volley. In extra-time, Messi made it 3-2 for Argentina in the 108th-minute, scoring after some poor defending. But Mbappe once again came to his side's rescue in the 118th-minute to make it 3-3. In what turned out to be a nerve-wracking penalty shootout, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez came out on top to deny Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman as Argentina sealed a 4-2 victory.
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