'A hug to all' - Lionel Messi sends heartwarming message after winning second FIFA The Best award

FIFA The Best Award 2023: Lionel Messi has won the prestigious honour for only the second time in his glorious career, besides being his third FIFA honour.

Image credit: Lionel Messi/Instagram

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is at the top of the world again. On Monday, he was honoured with FIFA The Best award for being the top male footballer last year following a phenomenal 2022, where he scored numerous goals, leading Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to the Ligue 1 title, while the most standout performance came during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he led Argentina to its third title glory, and his first of his celebrated career.

Meanwhile, Messi was blessed to have received the accolade, as he took to his Instagram handle to share a thankful post with his fans. "Thanks to everyone who made it possible for me to win this award. To all of the @afaseleccion, my family and friends, and the 45 million Argentinians who trusted us... And congratulations to all the winners and winners of the @fifa The Best, especially to @lioscaloni and @emi_martinez26, who deserved their awards too. A hug to all, see you soon!!!" he wrote.

While Messi's post had numerous comments, one of the comments happened to be from his former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, who remarked, "Congratulations lad 👏🏼😂 So happy for you and the family! Well DESERVED award. Continued to prove that some still doubt who is the BEST.. 🤦🏻 ♂️ Big hug, HORSE 🏆🔝 #elmejordetodos".

Earlier, after winning the laurel, Messi had sounded during the ceremony, "Wow, it's amazing. It's been a tremendous year, and it's an honour to be here tonight and win this award. Without my teammates, I wouldn't be here. I achieved the dream I had been hoping for so long. Very few people can achieve that, and I have been lucky to do so."