Lionel Messi and Alexia Putellas honored as best men’s and women’s football players. Lionel Messi and Alexia Putellas were crowned the best players in men’s and women’s football at FIFA’s annual awards ceremony in Paris on Monday. Messi, who guided Argentina to World Cup glory at the end of last year, was honored as the Best FIFA Men’s Player for the second time in the award’s current format, while Spanish midfielder Putellas was named Best FIFA Women’s Player for the second year running. National team coaches and captains, as well as a worldwide panel of journalists and supporters, vote on the awards each year. The 35-year-old Messi finished ahead of Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema in the voting for the men’s award. Putellas, meanwhile, scored 34 goals in all competitions last season and captained Barcelona to a domestic treble and a spot in the Champions League final against eventual winner Lyon. The 29-year-old, who missed the European Championships with an ACL injury, finished ahead of the USA international Alex Morgan and England striker Beth Mead in the voting. She also becomes the first player to win the women’s award twice.
