On Monday night, Lionel Messi was awarded with the FIFA men’s player prize for 2020 during the award ceremony in Paris. This is his second time to earn this honour since it was inaugurated by FIFA in 2016. To earn the title, Messi beat some of his toughest competitors – Paris Saint-Germain teammate and World Cup final rival Kylian Mbappe, as well as veteran striker Karim Benzema. The winners for this award are decided based on votes from select national team captains and coaches, making this win even more prestigious for Messi as it is a validation from his peers.
The recent FIFA awards ceremony provided a surprise twist when it was announced that Pepe, veteran central defender of Portugal, had cast the nation’s vote instead of Cristiano Ronaldo. It was surprising since Ronaldo is the Portugal team captain, but he had been benched for several matches during the World Cup so instead Maceao-born defender Pepe was given the honour to participate in voting. He named French star Kylian Mbappe as his first choice, with Croatian veteran Luka Modric and Karim Benzema from France following behind in second and third place respectively. With his decisive vote no doubt helping diversity decide who would be crowned winners at the awards ceremony, Pepe can rest assured that though he may have never gained a golden trophy for himself, his actions will have left an indelible mark on this year’s event.
Lionel Messi has added another incredible crowning achievement to his already gloried career. After being voted by national team coaches, captains, journalists, and fans, Messi was awarded for his exceptional world cup performance in which he lead Argentina to a remarkable victory against France on penalties. During the epic face-off in Doha, Messi scored twice while Mbappe netted a heart-breaking hat-trick. When Messi collected his award he said: “This year was just mad for me, to be able to achieve my dream that I had fought so hard for. In the end I got it and it was the most beautiful thing that has happened in my career.” It is safe to say that no one deserves this recognition more than Lionel Messi, an extraordinary lifetime of work which is culminating with one of the most impressive awards anyone could be bestowed with – and certainly an accolade that will not soon be forgotten.
Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers of all time and winner of FIFA’s “The Best” Award this year, knows the feeling of accomplishment that comes from making a dream come true. It is something that only a few ever achieve. On Sunday night in Paris, he was surrounded by his trophy alongside Kylian Mbappe, one of the hottest prospects in world football teetering on the brink of achieving the same feat. The two stars were in the City of Lights following Mbappe’s stunning performance against Marseille just one day prior to Messi’s victory at the awards ceremony. With so much success amongst them, it is no wonder they have both become symbols post-pandemic society’s optimism that anything is achievable with hard work and commitment.
