'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABiAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQYQAAEDAwMFAQAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAwUABAYRISIHEhQlMUEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAURAAICAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAAMEESLB/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwCbjOJwMfjcdOiV+463E+UdiRWg2Lxiz36ONBbiRDqu3LVK2TPVRxGW/RRycE2FsET5+caUp3HrSwOWG+/Ie9tiFQra5n//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
PSG star Lionel Messi won the FIFA 'The Best' men's player award on Monday and the footballing world showered the player with congratulatory messages.
The 35-year-old guided Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup last December, scoring seven goals, including two in the final, as the Albiceleste defeated France 4-2 on penalties following a pulsating 3-3 draw after 120 minutes.
Unsurprisingly, then, Messi romped to the award last night with 52 points, beating his club teammate Kylian Mbappe, who finished second with 44 points, followed by Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema in third.
His crowning moment sent social media into a meltdown with fans from across the globe heaping praise on the former Barcelona ace, but many footballing names also joined in his celebrations.
Trending
Messi's national teammate and close friend Angel Di Maria hailed him as "the best in the world" in his Instagram story, while Neymar, another long-time ally of his, said, "Congratulations legend."
Mbappe, despite losing out to Messi, didn't fail to mention the 35-year-old in his post-ceremony message, congratulating the World Cup winner and commending him as "the best".
Other Argentina teammates like Paulo Dybala, Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, all of whom were a part of Lionel Scaloni's squad in Qatar, chipped in too.
Even a rival player like Thomas Muller, whose Germany side beat Messi's Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final, congratulated the PSG forward for his honor.
Here's how the footballing world reacted to Messi's victory:
Lionel Messi for Ballon d'Or next?
With the FIFA 'The Best' award in the bag, Lionel Messi has his sights on the Ballon d'Or next and he's currently the frontrunner for that too.
Over the next seven months, the list of favorites could change as the Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled for October.
Besides winning the World Cup, Lionel Messi has been on a great run of form for PSG this season too, scoring 17 goals and making 16 assists from 28 appearances in all competitions.
If he's able to back his statistics with a few trophies this year, then his name on the prize would be certain.
