Messi and Putellas voted best players at FIFA awards again
Paris (AP): World Cup winner Lionel Messi edged Kylian Mbapp again, this time to take FIFA's best men's player award on Monday. The best women's player was Spain's Alexia Putellas for a second straight year.
After steering Argentina to World Cup glory in an epic final against Mbapp 's France last year in Qatar, Messi won the best player vote against Mbapp and Karim Benzema to secure the FIFA prize for the seventh time in 14 years.
The three players made the final shortlist in voting by a global panel of national team captains and coaches, selected journalists in each of FIFA's 211 member countries, plus fans online.
The 35-year-old Messi also beat Mbapp who was seeking his first best player award from FIFA to the Golden Ball trophy awarded by FIFA for the World Cup's best player.
Putellas won her award from Alex Morgan of the United States and Beth Mead, who led England to the European Championship title in 2022.
Barcelona playmaker Putellas made the top three again despite being injured days before the Euro and missing the tournament.
Mead was the joint top scorer at the Euro, and was named the tournament's best player. She sustained a serious knee injury in November while playing for Arsenal and could miss the Women's World Cup in July in Australia and New Zealand.
Morgan, who was second in the 2019 vote to teammate Megan Rapinoe, was player of the tournament when the U.S. won the CONCACAF W Championship last year. She was also the joint top scorer.
Earlier, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was voted FIFA men's coach of the year after leading his team to the World Cup title in December.
The women's coach award went to Sarina Wiegman, who led the England to the title at the Women's European Championship.
Scaloni took over Argentina at the end of 2018 on an interim basis, and was widely criticized for lacking experience as he had never coached a professional team. Earlier Monday, his contract as the national team coach was extended to the end of the 2026 World Cup.
The other coaches on the shortlist were Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City's Pep Guardiola.
The women's goalkeeper award was given to Euro winner Mary Earps of England, and the best men's goalkeeper was Argentina's World Cup winner Emiliano Mart nez.
The event in Paris was marked by tributes to Pel , who died late last year at age 82 following a battle with colon cancer. Pel 's wife, Marcia Aoki, received a trophy honoring the soccer great from the hands of former Brazil striker Ronaldo.
"I have three words to say to God, who gave us Edson, to Edson, who gave us Pel , and to the world, who received them so well: Grateful, grateful and grateful,'" she said.
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Venur: SDPI files defamation complaint as village ritual video shows participants in Muslim dress
Belthangady: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has filed a complaint with the Venur Police against a group that recently held a ceremony called ‘Purushara Pooje’ in Perladka near Venur, accusing the participants of insulting Muslims.
While the ceremony shows the group dancing around a mound, video clips where people are seen in costumes typically worn by Muslims, are going viral on social media platforms. The participants include a man wearing a skull cap and a woman in a burqa. The man in skull cap is also seen holding the SDPI flag while dancing.
Social media users have accused the group of showing disrespect towards Muslims by degrading their dress sense. The users have also called it an intentional act by the participants.
The representative of the SDPI has further told the police that the sentiments of the party members have been hurt as the party flag was degraded during the ritual.
The SDPI said that ‘Purusharapooje’ was a convention that was regularly carried out in Perladka of Venur, but the ritual was now being misused as a means to degrade Muslims. The participants were made to don dresses like Muslim men, women and also Maulvis during the ceremony. In addition, the flag of the SDPI was used by one of the participants, which was an insult of the party, the complainant has told the police.
The party has also demanded that the authorities arrest the guilty parties and take legal action on them.
SDPI leaders Hamid Venur, Ashraf Badyaru, Nizam Katte, Aslam Maddadka and Rizwan were present on the occasion.
In #Belthangady's #Venur, individuals dressed in #Muslim religious and women's attire performed a dance with the intent to insult the Muslim community.
— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) April 15, 2025
At a #Hindu traditional event held in a place called #Purusharakatte, miscreants misused the occasion. A video shows them… pic.twitter.com/zYvR5TW0kq
