After the Argentina international was voted World Soccer Player of the Year, Lionel Messi passed Cristiano Ronaldo in the rankings.
Ronaldo has won the individual award five times, compared to Messi’s six.
The Argentine had a memorable 2022, helping his nation win the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
He was voted the World Cup’s top player after tallying seven goals during the competition. In seven games, he added three assists.
In addition to winning the Ligue 1 championship, Messi made 21 appearances this season and registered 13 goals and 14 assists.
The decision to choose the former Barcelona star over Karim Benzema as the magazine’s Player of the Year was explained by World Soccer’s Jamie Evans.
The World Cup, he continued, “remains the sport’s summit, where legends are forged and legacies are established.”
Messi’s name will henceforth be inextricably linked with the year 2022, just as Pele, Maradona, and Zinedine Zidane’s are with 1970, 1986, and 1998, respectively.
