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Messi, Mbappe and Benzema Battle for FIFA Best Player Award

Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - February 1, 2023 Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi during the warm up. (Reuters)
Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - February 1, 2023 Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi during the warm up. (Reuters)
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Messi, Mbappe and Benzema Battle for FIFA Best Player Award

Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - February 1, 2023 Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi during the warm up. (Reuters)
Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - February 1, 2023 Paris St Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi during the warm up. (Reuters)

It’s Lionel Messi vs. Kylian Mbappé again, this time for the FIFA Best Men’s Player award for 2022.

Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain and France’s superstar forward head the three-player shortlist announced by FIFA on Friday, eight weeks after leading their teams in an epic final in Qatar.

Karim Benzema completed the top three in the voting by a global panel of national team captains and coaches plus selected journalist in each of FIFA’s 211 member countries, as well as fans voting online.

In the Best Women’s Player award, Beth Mead of England, Alex Morgan of the United States and Spain's Alexia Putellas were on the shortlist voted for by a separate global voting panel.

The winners will be announced at a Feb. 27 ceremony in Paris.

Messi edged Mbappé for the Golden Ball awarded by FIFA as the best player at the World Cup. Croatia captain Luka Modrić placed third in that contest.

Another duel is expected for the Paris Saint-Germain teammates with Messi favored to get a seventh win in FIFA’s annual individual prize. Mbappé seeks his first.

Messi won his six previous awards when it was called the FIFA World Player of the Year (2009), the FIFA Ballon d’Or in each year from 2010-12 and again in 2015, then in the current title of Best FIFA Men’s Player for 2019

Mbappe makes the shortlist for the first time though he was fourth in voting for the 2018 award. The 24-year-old has been sixth, seventh and eighth in past three years.

Robert Lewandowski won the FIFA award for the past two years.

The more prestigious Ballon d’Or award organized by France Football magazine was won in October by Karim Benzema ahead of the World Cup. The France forward missed the tournament because of an injury. Messi was not on the long list of Ballon d’Or candidates announced in August.

The Best Women's Player award for 2021 was won by Putellas and the Barcelona playmaker made the top three again despite being injured days before the European Championship and missing the tournament for Spain.

Mead led England to the Euro 2022 title as the tournament's joint top scorer and was named its best player. She suffered a serious knee injury in November playing for Arsenal and could miss the Women's World Cup that starts in July, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Morgan, who was second in the 2019 vote to teammate Megan Rapinoe, was player of the tournament when the US won the CONCACAF W Championship last year. She was also the joint top scorer.

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Sports

PSG’s Mental Strength Hailed as they Come from Behind to Win at Monaco

Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Play Off - First Leg - AS Monaco v Paris St Germain - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 17, 2026 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Play Off - First Leg - AS Monaco v Paris St Germain - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 17, 2026 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz
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PSG’s Mental Strength Hailed as they Come from Behind to Win at Monaco

Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Play Off - First Leg - AS Monaco v Paris St Germain - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 17, 2026 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Play Off - First Leg - AS Monaco v Paris St Germain - Stade Louis II, Monaco - February 17, 2026 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique reacts REUTERS/Manon Cruz

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis ‌Enrique hailed the mental strength of his side in coming from two goals down to win 3-2 away at Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday, but warned the knockout round tie was far from finished.

The first leg clash between the two Ligue 1 clubs saw Folarin Balogun score twice for the hosts in the opening 18 minutes before Vitinha had his penalty saved to compound matters.

But after Desire Doue came on for injured Ousmane Dembele, the ‌match turned ‌and defending champions PSG went on to ‌secure ⁠a one-goal advantage ⁠for the return leg.

"Normally, when a team starts a match like that, the most likely outcome is a loss,” Reuters quoted Luis Enrique as saying.

“It was catastrophic. It's impossible to start a match like that. The first two times they overcame our pressure and entered our half, they scored. They ⁠made some very good plays.

“After that, it's difficult ‌to have confidence, but we ‌showed our mental strength. Plus, we missed a penalty, so ‌it was a chance to regain confidence. In the ‌last six times we've played here, this is only the second time we've won, which shows how difficult it is.”

The 20-year-old Doue scored twice and provided a third for Achraf Hakimi, just ‌days after he had turned in a poor performance against Stade Rennais last Friday ⁠and was ⁠dropped for the Monaco clash.

“I'm happy for him because this past week, everyone criticized and tore Doue apart, but he was sensational, he showed his character. He helped the team at the best possible time.”

Dembele’s injury would be assessed, the coach added. “He took a knock in the first 15 minutes, then he couldn't run.”

The return leg at the Parc des Princes will be next Wednesday. “Considering how the match started, I'm happy with the result. But the match in Paris will be difficult, it will be a different story,” Luis Enrique warned.

Sports

Mbappe Calls for Prestianni Ban over Alleged Racist Slur at Vinicius

TOPSHOT - Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe talks with SL Benfica's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho during the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-off first leg football match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on February 17, 2026. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe talks with SL Benfica's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho during the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-off first leg football match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on February 17, 2026. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)
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Mbappe Calls for Prestianni Ban over Alleged Racist Slur at Vinicius

TOPSHOT - Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe talks with SL Benfica's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho during the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-off first leg football match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on February 17, 2026. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Real Madrid's French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe talks with SL Benfica's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho during the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-off first leg football match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on February 17, 2026. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe said Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni should be banned from the Champions League after the Argentine was accused of directing a racist slur at Vinicius Jr during the Spanish side's 1-0 playoff first-leg win on Tuesday.

Denying the accusation, Prestianni said the Brazilian misheard him.

The incident occurred shortly after Vinicius had curled Real into the lead five minutes into the second half in Lisbon.

Television footage showed the Argentine winger covering his mouth with his shirt before making a comment that Vinicius and nearby teammates interpreted as a racial ‌slur against ‌the 25-year-old, with referee Francois Letexier halting the match for ‌11 ⁠minutes after activating ⁠FIFA's anti-racism protocols.

The footage appeared to show an outraged Mbappe calling Prestianni "a bloody racist" to his face, Reuters reported.

The atmosphere grew hostile after play resumed, with Vinicius and Mbappe loudly booed by the home crowd whenever they touched the ball. Despite the rising tensions, the players were able to close out the game without further interruptions.

"I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, ⁠who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard," Prestianni wrote ‌on his Instagram account.

"I was never racist with ‌anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players."

Mbappe told reporters he ‌heard Prestianni direct the same racist remark at Vinicius several times, an allegation ‌also levelled by Real's French midfielder Aurelien Tchouamen.

Mbappe said he had been prepared to leave the pitch but was persuaded by Vinicius to continue playing.

"We cannot accept that there is a player in Europe's top football competition who behaves like this. This guy (Prestianni) doesn't ‌deserve to play in the Champions League anymore," Mbappe told reporters.

"We have to set an example for all the children ⁠watching us at ⁠home. What happened today is the kind of thing we cannot accept because the world is watching us.

When asked whether Prestianni had apologized, Mbappe laughed.

"Of course not," he said.

Vinicius later posted a statement on social media voicing his frustration.

"Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to cover their mouth with their shirt to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or my family's life," Vinicius wrote.

The Brazilian has faced repeated racist abuse in Spain, with 18 legal complaints filed against racist behavior targeting Vinicius since 2022.

Real Madrid and Benfica will meet again for the second leg next Wednesday at the Bernabeu.

Sports

Second Season of ‘Kings League–Middle East' to Kick off in March in Riyadh 

The second season of the Kings League-Middle East will kick off in Riyadh on March 27. (Kings League-Middle East on X)
The second season of the Kings League-Middle East will kick off in Riyadh on March 27. (Kings League-Middle East on X)
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Second Season of ‘Kings League–Middle East' to Kick off in March in Riyadh 

The second season of the Kings League-Middle East will kick off in Riyadh on March 27. (Kings League-Middle East on X)
The second season of the Kings League-Middle East will kick off in Riyadh on March 27. (Kings League-Middle East on X)

The Kings League-Middle East announced that its second season will kick off in Riyadh on March 27.

The season will feature 10 teams, compared to eight in the inaugural edition, under a format that combines sporting competition with digital engagement and includes the participation of several content creators from across the region.

The Kings League-Middle East is organized in partnership with SURJ Sports Investments, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), as part of efforts to support the development of innovative sports models that integrate football with digital entertainment.

Seven teams will return for the second season: DR7, ABO FC, FWZ, Red Zone, Turbo, Ultra Chmicha, and 3BS. Three additional teams are set to be announced before the start of the competition.

Matches of the second season will be held at Cool Arena in Riyadh under a single round-robin format, with the top-ranked teams advancing to the knockout stages, culminating in the final match.

The inaugural edition recorded strong attendance and wide digital engagement, with approximately a million viewers following the live broadcasts on television and digital platforms.