Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo at The Best FIFA Awards: Who Has Secured More Prizes?

• Lionel Messi has been named as a finalist for The Best FIFA awards
• The Argentine has eight Ballon d'Or wins to Cristiano Ronaldo's five
• Sports Brief analyses who has won more The Best FIFA top awards

Individual accolades are gaining greater prominence in contemporary football, a trend initially set by the Ballon d'Or and subsequently amplified with the establishment of The Best FIFA Awards.

In the case of players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, these personal honours provide an additional metric for comparing them, independent of the club trophies they have accumulated.

The next edition of the awards will be held on January 15 in London and it will be another contest between Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland for The Best Men's Player of 2023, per ESPN.

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What do the FIFA Best Awards entail?

The inception of the FIFA Best Awards dates back to 2016. While The Best FIFA Men's Player garners significant attention among all the honours, there are several others in the lineup.

These include distinctions such as The Best Men's Goalkeeper, The Best Men's Coach, The FIFPro Men's World 11, and analogous awards dedicated to pace-setters of women's football.

Additionally, the mixed fair play award is conferred upon a team or individual for displaying sportsmanship throughout the year.

The Puskas Award recognises the best goal, alongside a fan award and a special award for 'outstanding career achievements.

The Best FIFA Awards: Messi vs Ronaldo

The prolonged and exhaustive debate over whether Ronaldo or Messi is the superior player seemingly found resolution when the Argentine secured the 2022 World Cup, while the Portuguese forward made a move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Despite this, Ronaldo has taken the lead in The Best FIFA Awards, clinching the top men's payer title in 2016 and 2017. Per Foxsports, Messi claimed the award in 2019 and 2022 but has been a runner-up three times.

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Robert Lewandowski has also won the award twice and Luka Modric received it once. Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, as well as Neymar Junior and Antoine Griezmann, have all made appearances in the top three.

Which goalkeeper has the most The Best awards?

Notably, the goalkeeper accolade was omitted in 2016. However, from 2017 onward, the award has seen five different shot-stoppers emerge victorious.

Gianluigi Buffon initiated the trend, succeeded by Thibaut Courtois, Alisson Becker, Manuel Neuer, and Edouard Mendy.

The prospect remains open for a new goalkeeper to claim the award in 2023, with Yassine Bounou, Courtois, and Ederson in the running.

Messi, Bonmati nominated for The Best awards

Sports Brief previously reported that Aitana Bonmati and Messi were named as finalists for The Best FIFA Awards by the world football governing body on Thursday.

The Argentine was awarded a record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or in October, while the Spaniard took the women's award after starring at the Women's World Cup.