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India captain Sunil Chhetri picked Lionel Messi for the third spot in his votes for the 2022 FIFA The Best Men's Player award. The Indian legend picked Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema and his compatriot Kylian Mbappe as his first two choices respectively.
Benzema had a successful first half of the 2022 calendar year with Real Madrid. He helped the club win the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League trophy. The Frenchman scored 44 goals and provided 15 assists in 46 games across competitions in the 2021-22 season.
While he was slated to lead the attack for France at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, an injury meant Benzema couldn't take part in the competition. He eventually announced his retirement from international football.
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Chhetri's second pick for the FIFA The Best Men's Player award was Mbappe, who had a good season for club and country. He first led Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to the 2021-22 Ligue 1 title. The forward then helped France reach the FIFA World Cup final, winning the Golden Boot with eight goals in the tournament.
He also scored a hat-trick in the final but Argentina beat Les Bleus on penalties.
Chhetri then picked Messi as his third choice for the FIFA The Best Men's Player award.
The Argentine forward led his country to the World Cup trophy, contributing seven goals and three assists. He also won the Golden Ball, awarded to the best player in the tournament.
Messi eventually won the FIFA The Best Men's Player award, receiving 52 votes. Mbappe finished second with 44 votes and Benzema finished third with 34 votes.
FIFA The Best Men's Player award winner Lionel Messi on winning everything with Argentina
After Messi lifted the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he won every trophy available at the national level. There was speculation regarding his potential retirement following a triumphant tournament.
The Argentine hinted at the end of a cycle with the national team in an interview a few weeks ago. He told UrbanaPlay:
"It’s at the end of my career, closing a cycle. I achieved everything with the national team I always dreamed. I got everything in my career, individually. It was about uniquely closing my career."
He added:
"I never imagined that all this would happen to me when I started, and getting to this moment was the best. I have no complaints, and I can’t ask for more. We won the Copa America [in 2021] and the World Cup; there’s nothing left."
Argentina will next compete in the 2024 Copa America. Given his performances for PSG this season, one could potentially see Messi leading his national side at the tournament.
