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Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammate David Ospina's votes for the FIFA The Best Men's Player Award have been revealed and all three finalists made his list.
Lionel Messi was awarded the best men's player award for 2022 by FIFA in Paris on Monday (February 27). The Argentinian icon won the accolade after earning a total of 52 points in the voting.
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The forward led La Albiceleste to FIFA World Cup glory in December, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in 10 matches. His Ligue 1 glory with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) last season also seemingly tipped the scale in his favor.
Messi's PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe finished second on the list with 44 points. Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema could only secure third place despite winning the UEFA Champions League and La Liga last season.
It is worth noting that the votes for the FIFA The Best Awards are decided by national team coaches, national team captains, media representatives, and fans. As the skipper of the Colombian national team, Ospina was thus among those who named his picks for the best men's player award.
The Al-Nassr goalkeeper notably named his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo's arch-nemesis Messi as his top pick. Mbappe and Benzema came second and third on his list, respectively.
Cristiano Ronaldo last won the FIFA The Best Men's Player Award in 2017
The FIFA The Best Men's Player Award was previously known as the FIFA World Player of the Year. It became the FIFA Ballon d'Or after a merger with France Football in 2010.
The merger came to an end in 2016, leading to the introduction of the FIFA The Men's Player Award. Ronaldo, who was then at Real Madrid, notably won the award in both 2016 and 2017.
Ospina's Al-Nassr teammate then finished second in 2018 and 2020, and third in 2019. He has failed to make it to the final three in the last two editions of the award.
Messi winning the FIFA The Best award on Monday means that he has now equaled Cristiano Ronaldo's tally of two. The PSG superstar also has two more Ballons d'Or than the Portuguese icon.
At the age of 35 and 38, respectively, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are nearing the end of their careers. However, they seem determined to win as many trophies and accolades as possible as long as they continue playing.
Messi's PSG are currently eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1, while Ronaldo's Al-Nassr lead the Saudi Pro League by two points. Both legends have played key roles for their respective clubs so far this season.
