Lucas Hernandez was back in Bayern Munich training on Monday for the first time since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during the World Cup.

The versatile defender suffered the injury early on in France's Qatar 2022 opener against Australia in November.

He went down clutching his right knee after being turned by Matthew Leckie in the build-up to the Socceroos' opening goal.

France subsequently confirmed he ruptured his ACL, leading to fears that Hernandez's season – not just his World Cup – was over.

But his chances of being involved in Bayern's run-in have improved significantly after the club confirmed he was once again training with the ball on Monday.

Nevertheless, it would seem unlikely for Hernandez to be back in match contention during Bayern's Champions League quarter-final tie with Manchester City, the first leg being on Tuesday and the second eight days later.

He should be able to assist Thomas Tuchel's side in the final weeks of the Bundesliga season, however.

The defending champions are top of the table with seven matches to go but have only a two-point lead over Borussia Dortmund.

Eddie Jones has six uncapped faces in his first Australia squad since returning to the team, comparing his training camp with Formula 1 pre-season testing.

The veteran coach was dismissed by England last December, and promptly returned to take charge of the Wallabies for the second time, succeeding Dave Rennie.

In making his first selections ahead of a training camp before July's Rugby Championship and September's Rugby World Cup, Jones has not been afraid to gamble.

On the weekend the Australian Grand Prix took place in Melbourne, the 63-year-old also spoke of how his side can draw influence from the start of a new year in F1 too.

"Every pre-season testing in Formula One is a fresh start," he said. "New ideas, new cars, new drivers, new support staff. It's the same for us.

"This is a new squad, with new standards and new expectations for a new challenge. I hope the players who have this first chance understand the privilege, have their tyres pumped up and they're ready to go."

Brumbies duo Blake Schoupp and Ryan Lonergan are included for the first time, alongside Rebels pair Carter Gordon and Brad Wilkin.

Waratahs teenager Max Jorgensen also gets a first call, as does Reds man Josh Flook, who is joined by domestic team-mate Suliasi Vunivalu despite the league convert's mixed form.

Jones believes he has a team with the mindset to deliver, adding: "It's no secret what I've been looking for, and in the players selected for this first camp they've delivered on work rate, effort and intent.”

"I've said it a million times. We have the talent in Australia but not the team. This first camp and this first squad is the first step to building a winning team.

"This is not the squad for Rugby World Cup. It's the first squad for the first camp. If you are in it, the challenge is to stay in it. If you are not in it, how do you get in it? Players select themselves."

Australia squad: Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies), Ben Donaldson (Waratahs), Pone Fa'amausili (Rebels), Josh Flook (Reds), Lalakai Foketi (Waratahs), Nick Frost (Brumbies), Langi Gleeson (Waratahs), Carter Gordon (Rebels), Ned Hanigan (Waratahs), Reece Hodge (Rebels), Michael Hooper (Waratahs), Jed Holloway (Waratahs), Len Ikitau (Brumbies), Max Jorgensen (Waratahs), Andrew Kellaway (Rebels), Lachlan Lonergan (Brumbies), Ryan Lonergan (Brumbies), Fraser McReight (Reds), Mark Nawaqanitawase (Waratahs), Cadeyrn Neville (Brumbies), Jordan Petaia (Reds), David Porecki (Waratahs), Tom Robertson (Force), Pete Samu (Brumbies), Blake Schoupp (Brumbies), James Slipper (Brumbies), Darcy Swain (Brumbies), Jordan Uelese (Rebels), Rob Valetini (Brumbies), Suliasi Vunivalu (Reds), Nic White (Brumbies), Brad Wilkin (Rebels), Tom Wright (Brumbies).

South Africa assistant Felix Jones will join England's coaching staff after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Jones featured 13 times for Ireland during his playing career, before taking on assistant coach roles with Munster and the Springboks.

England are planning ahead after a disappointing Six Nations campaign in which they finished in fourth place, losing three of their five games.

Speaking to the England Rugby website after the future appointment was confirmed, head coach Steve Borthwick expressed his excitement at eventually having Jones on board.

"We are continuing to build our programme to be in a position to compete to be world champions once again," Borthwick said. "At the same time, I also want to ensure we are preparing for long-term success for this England team, and I am excited that a coach as talented as Felix is joining next year.

"Felix has been competing at the top of world rugby during his four years with South Africa and will bring invaluable experience to our set-up. Like with Aled Walters, Felix was an integral part of the team that won the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

"Together with Richard Wigglesworth and Kevin Sinfield, we are putting in place a coaching team who have spent their careers at the highest level competing for trophies. That is exactly what we want for this England team."

Jones has worked with South Africa since 2019, and will join up with assistant Wigglesworth (assistant) and another former Springboks coach in Aled Walters (head of strength and conditioning) as well as Borthwick and Sinfield (defence coach) in 2024, with Wigglesworth and Walters due to come in at the end of the Premiership season.

"Coaching the Springboks is one of the biggest privileges in rugby and I intend to do everything I can to ensure the team is successful until the day my contract comes to its natural end," said Jones.

"The last four years has been an incredible journey for me and my family, both professionally and personally, I am indebted to so many people at the Springboks and in South Africa for that.

"My commitment to the Springboks until the end of the Rugby World Cup is unquestionable, and Rassie [Erasmus, director of rugby], Jacques [Nienaber, head coach] and the entire Springbok team know that.

"The next five months are going to be exciting and demanding, and I'm looking forward to preparing for the World Cup with this coaching team."

Another week, another landmark for Lionel Messi as the Argentina superstar scored his 800th career goal in Thursday's friendly against Panama.

It's been an almighty journey for the all-time great, who has basically won everything on offer and claimed a record haul of seven Ballons d'Or along the way.

The player regarded by many as the greatest ever, Messi reached his latest milestone with a picture-perfect free kick in the 89th minute against Panama, curling one into the top corner after crashing two prior free kicks into the crossbar.

Although Messi hits new landmarks so frequently, at the age of 35 he is approaching a point where such achievements will become a little rarer.

With that in mind, it's worth celebrating Messi and his feats while we still can – therefore, Stats Perform has delved into the Opta data behind his latest accomplishment.

On the receiving end

It's nearly 18 years since Messi's first goal in professional football. Then a floppy-haired 17-year-old, he latched on to a Ronaldinho pass before lifting a clever lob over Albacete goalkeeper Raul Valbuena on May 1, 2005.

That goal has since become famous given its significance in marking the arrival of Messi – it also left a mark on the career of Valbuena.

"The press calls me every time he's broken a record or achieved something important, especially press from Catalonia," he told Marca nine years later. "To me, it's a funny anecdote in my career as a goalkeeper."

Well, it's all right for some. Many goalkeepers have had to contend with Messi smashing past them a few more times than Valbuena's single concession.

In total, 232 goalkeepers had let in a goal against Messi before Thursday. No one conceded more than Diego Alves, however, with the Brazilian beaten 21 times. Iker Casillas is a close second (19).

Returning the favour

Of course, over his career Messi has also become synonymous with creativity, routinely setting up goals for his team-mates.

But, given how many he's scored, he's also had to benefit from plenty of service from his colleagues as well – when he's not doing it all himself.

There are several players with whom he's struck up particularly effective on-pitch relationships.

For years, his combination with Dani Alves was unrivalled, the Brazilian setting up 42 of Messi's goals, but then along came Luis Suarez.

Suarez, Messi and Neymar were a revered and feared front three, their understanding on the pitch so deadly. The Uruguayan ended up assisting 47 goals for Messi across their six years together, with no one else teeing him up more often.

Messi also has his favourite clubs to score against. Impressively, Real Madrid (26) are right up there – but there are four teams he has punished more.

Athletic Bilbao (29), Valencia (31) and Atletico Madrid (32) all struggled against him, but if there has been one team who have resembled lambs to the slaughter when facing Messi, it's Sevilla (38).

Heights few have reached

The world of football numbers can be a little muddy. What constitutes an official goal? What's an official competition?

As such, there has been lots of confusion regarding the 'official' goals hauls of players down the years – we're looking at you, Pele and Romario.

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) considers Cristiano Ronaldo to be the world record holder, stating in December 2021 that the Portugal forward was the first player to reach 800 official career goals.

This makes Messi the second to reach that figure, with Opta corroborating his career record. There remains a possibility he will eventually reach 1,000. No one is expecting him to get there soon, though.

After all, as good as he remains, achievements like scoring 91 times in a calendar year – as he managed in 2012 – appear to be beyond him these days.

That was his best ever year, which – perhaps unsurprisingly – coincided with his most prolific season (2011-12), when he scored 82 goals.

Still, the 35 goals he plundered in 2022 wasn't a bad return, especially given that haul included seven en route to World Cup success with Argentina.

Still to come?

There aren't many records at Barcelona that don't already belong to Messi. Top scorer? Done. Most appearances? Completed it. The most-photographed person at Camp Nou? Probably.

It seems unlikely Messi will be around at PSG long enough to have the same kind of impact there, but he certainly still has career targets in sight.

There's the aforementioned 1,000 goals landmark, though before then he will have his eyes on more international achievements.

Messi's free kick to seal Thursday's 2-0 win left him just one from reaching 100 with Argentina, and after that he'll perhaps have designs on usurping both Ali Daei (109) and Ronaldo (120), the two highest-scoring players in men's international football.

Similarly, with Ronaldo now out of the way in Saudi Arabia, Messi could also take his record for the most Champions League goals (140) – Messi is on 129.

But regardless of what else he does or doesn't go on to achieve, Thursday's milestone is just another reminder of how fortunate we've been to witness Messi's truly remarkable career.

Lionel Messi reached the latest major milestone of his storied career on Thursday as he moved on to 800 goals with a stunning free kick for to seal Argentina's 2-0 friendly win against Panama on Thursday.

The reigning World Cup champions returned to Buenos Aires where they received a thunderous reception from their loyal supporters, but they would have to wait until the final moments for their favourite son to get on the scoresheet.

Messi had hit the crossbar with a free kick in the first half, and after a second free kick was saved by inspired Panama goalkeeper Jose Guerra, he struck the woodwork again with a third free kick, although this one led to the opening goal as Thiago Almada tapped in the rebound.

But his fourth free kick finally curled under the bar and into the top-right corner, sending the stadium into raptures.

Of course, it was not so long ago that Messi hit another goals landmark.

His tap-in from Kylian Mbappe's inch-perfect cross against Marseille on February 26 was the 700th club goal of Messi's career – the strike against Panama was only his second for club or country since then.

Messi's stunner at El Monumental on Thursday was his 99th on the international stage.

Only his old nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo (120) and Iran legend Ali Daei (109) have scored more goals in international men's football than Messi, who looks set to continue playing for Argentina for a little while yet.

As such, his 100th goal for the Albiceleste is seemingly just around the corner.

But much like with that international milestone, Messi is not the first player to reach 800 across a full career.

Data can get a little murkier when you go deep into the past, with historical inconsistencies making it a little tricky to classify "official goals" or "official competitions".

The likes of Brazilian greats Romario and Pele are among a group of players deemed by some to have scored over 1,000 goals over their careers, but many of those were netted in friendlies or "unofficial" games.

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) considered Cristiano Ronaldo to be the first player to ever reach 800 official goals in December 2021.

With that in mind, Thursday's goal makes Messi the second to reach the landmark, and he is still going strong.

He has scored 18 for the season (all competitions) with PSG, though he also netted seven in as many games at Qatar 2022 as Argentina won the World Cup.

Of course, the vast majority of his 800 goals have been scored in the colours of Barcelona.

During 17 years with Barca's first team, Messi scored 672 times. That is 440 more than any other player in the club's history, while he also holds their record for most appearances (778).

And with his future at PSG in doubt, he could yet extend those records at Camp Nou.

Former New Zealand coach Steve Hansen warned in-form Ireland they still have a huge point to prove at the Rugby World Cup this year.

Andy Farrell's side completed a Grand Slam against England on Saturday, sealing a Six Nations crown and reaffirming their place as the world's number one team.

But with France 2023 looming in just under half-a-year, they will have to overcome their own history, having never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage.

Hansen, who knocked Ireland out in the last eight with the All Blacks four years ago in Japan, feels they must defy their own tournament reputation to triumph.

"They are going well, [are] ranked number one in the world, and they have had a great year so far," he said.

"Every time a team is number one in the world, you have got to consider them to be a World Cup contender. But it is a tough tournament to win.

"They have seemed to struggle a little bit at World Cups. If it was the All Blacks, they would probably be called chokers. They have come a long way, they believe in themselves. They are a very good side.

"So they are definitely a contender. But they will have to overcome the pressure of not having gone past the quarter-finals before, and there will be a lot of pressure involved in that.

"If they get through to the semi-finals, then they are in new territory. That is something they will have to deal with that they've never dealt with before, and it is always hard to deal with something you haven't dealt with before."

Ireland open their campaign against Romania on September 9, before they face Tonga, Scotland and reigning champions South Africa.

Steve Borthwick says he "can't do anything about the past" with England, but the coach is looking forward to a lengthy World Cup build-up after their Six Nations efforts.

The former Leicester Tigers boss took the reins of the national team from Eddie Jones in December, less than a year out from the showpiece tournament in France.

With England having struggled at the end of 2022 under the Australian, Borthwick was unable to completely reverse the rot in a Six Nations campaign that ended with a 29-16 loss to Ireland.

But with just under half a year until they open their World Cup account against Argentina, he intends to use his first taste of the job to put their recent ghosts firmly out of mind.

"We'll debrief this Six Nations thoroughly, take what lessons we take from it and be clear on our direction going forward," he said.

"The team is not where it could be and, while we're judging against teams that have used this four-year cycle tremendously well, that's not the position England are in.

"I can't do anything about the past. I intend we will be working really hard to put England in the best position possible, and I'm excited about what these players can do for the World Cup.

"We get a number of weeks to prepare. Players will then be conditioned for international rugby and understand how we want to play.

"This has been five intense games, and effectively you then have one main training session a week.

"I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to work with the players for a longer period of time. I think we've seen some growth here, but we will see more in that preparation period."

In addition to facing Argentina, England also play Japan, Chile and Samoa in Pool D later this year.

The 2026 World Cup will maintain the four-team group stage format rather than change to three, FIFA has confirmed.

With the next iteration of the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada seeing the number of competing teams increase from 32 to 48, the intention had been to have 16 groups of three teams.

However, it is believed the exciting nature of the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar prompted a rethink, and it has now been confirmed that the four-team groups will continue, with the top two in each group and the eight best third-place teams going through to the knockout stage.

FIFA said in a statement on its website: "Based on a thorough review that considered sporting integrity, player welfare, team travel, commercial and sporting attractiveness, as well as team and fan experience, the FIFA Council unanimously approved the proposed amendment to the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition format from 16 groups of three to 12 groups of four with the top two and eight best third-placed teams progressing to a round of 32.

"The revised format mitigates the risk of collusion and ensures that all the teams play a minimum of three matches, while providing balanced rest time between competing teams."

It was also announced at FIFA's council meeting in Rwanda that the next men's World Cup final will take place on Sunday, July 19, 2026 as the men's international calendar from 2025-2030 was confirmed.

Further details will be "published in the coming days", but FIFA was able to confirm some headline information from the calendar, including plans to have a 16-day, four match international window in late September/early October from 2026.

It was also confirmed that the women's international calendar from 2024-2025 will "contain six international windows per year".

Lionel Messi achieved a "lifelong dream" when lifting the World Cup with Argentina but wants further glory after initial struggles at Paris Saint-Germain.

The 35-year-old finally got his hands on the coveted world trophy last December after inspiring Lionel Scaloni's Albiceleste to their first World Cup since 1986.

Messi scored seven times in the 2022 edition, including a double in the dramatic shoot-out victory over France in the final, to go with his three assists.

The former Barcelona man was once again at his brilliant best, firmly securing his place as one of the greatest of all time in footballing history.

"Well, it was really impressive. Everything I experienced was very nice, it's hard to explain, right?," the Argentina star told PSG's media. 

"Because it is a lifelong dream that came true, and we were able to share it with the people of Argentina, the way the people of Argentina celebrated it.

"Honestly, we expected it to be crazy, but not as crazy as it was in reality. It's a moment that will stay with us for the rest of our lives, for us who were lucky enough to play in it, and for all the people of Argentina."

It may have largely been misplaced to expect Messi to struggle at the World Cup but his PSG form heading into the tournament was far from his usual lofty standards.

The global superstar scored just six times from 26 appearances in his debut 2021-22 Ligue 1 campaign in Paris.

While acknowledging the difficulties of settling in the French capital, Messi has since found his feet and scored 13 goals in 21 Ligue 1 appearances this term.

He added: "As I said several times, the first year I had a hard time adapting to Paris for different reasons, but this season I started it differently, with a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of desire, and more comfortable with the club, the city, everything that Paris means. 

"I've really enjoyed the season as I'm feeling now. I think my whole life was like that. The dedication, the work, the effort, and wanting more every day."

"It was my turn to come to a new club with the goal of being able to win the title with Paris, to be able to achieve the great objectives that we set at the beginning of the season.

Christophe Galtier's side are eight points clear at the top-flight summit as they aim to defend their Ligue 1 crown, while a crucial Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich comes on Wednesday.

PSG are 1-0 down ahead of the return leg to the Allianz Arena but Messi is out to make history with the French giants.

"It was my turn to come to a new club with the goal of being able to win the title with Paris," he continued.

"To be able to achieve the great objectives that we set at the beginning of the season, we are looking to do that."

Just Fontaine has been hailed as an "eternal goalscorer" whose mark on football "will forever be remembered" following his death at the age of 89.

The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed on Wednesday that Fontaine had passed away overnight in Toulouse.

A minute's applause will be held in tribute to Fontaine at all French football grounds this week, starting with Wednesday's Coupe de France ties.

In a statement on their official website, the FFF described Fontaine as "the eternal goalscorer" and "a legend of world football".

FFF interim president Philippe Diallo added: "The death of Just Fontaine plunges French football into deep emotion and immense sadness.

"He wrote one of the most beautiful pages in the history of the French team."

Fontaine's greatest achievement came in 1958 when scoring 13 goals in just six matches for France at the World Cup as Les Blues went on to finish third.

That remains the highest number of goals scored in a single edition of the tournament, while his tally of 13 goals overall has been bettered by only three players in history.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: "Just was a footballing icon and his tremendous performance in 1958 cemented his legacy as one of the greatest World Cup players ever.

"Scoring 13 goals in a single World Cup is a record which, to this day, has never been equalled. 

"The mark he left on world football will forever be remembered, and this record will probably never be beaten. My deepest condolences to Just's loved ones at this difficult time."

Fontaine scored 30 goals in 21 appearances for France between 1953 and 1960 in a career that was cut short by injury at the age of 28.

Current France head coach Didier Deschamps said: "The loss of Just Fontaine saddens me, as it will inevitably sadden all those who love football and our national team. 

"'Justo' is and will remain a legend of the France team.

"As a player and then coach, I had the chance to meet him on several occasions.

"In particular at his home, in Toulouse, in September 2017. He was a man of great kindness, very respectful of generations that succeeded his with Les Bleus. 

"His attachment to the France team was strong and sincere."

At club level, Fontaine won the Coupe de France and Ligue 1 with Nice before joining Reims.

He won three more league titles with Reims, the Coupe de France and was twice victorious in the Trophee des Champions, while also reaching the 1958-59 European Cup final.

"A star of French football, an outstanding striker, a legendary Reims player," his former club said in a statement.

Fontaine scored 164 goals in 200 Ligue 1 matches.

He reached the 100-goal mark in the competition by the age of 24 years and eight months, which only Herve Revelli (23y 5m) and Kylian Mbappe (22y 3m) have bettered.

Fontaine later moved into coaching and took charge of Paris Saint-Germain, Toulouse and the Morocco national side.

During his time with PSG, he guided the club to their only promotion to Ligue 1 – they have not been relegated since.

"A thought for Just Fontaine. An icon of French football who has left us," PSG tweeted.

French football icon Just Fontaine has died at the age of 89.

The forward holds the record for the most goals scored in a single edition of a World Cup, hitting a haul of 13 in just six matches of the 1958 tournament as France reached the semi-finals for the first time.

Fontaine's flurry of goals included a hat-trick in his tournament debut against Paraguay and four in the third-place play-off win against West Germany, which ensured he had scored in every game.

Despite just featuring at one World Cup, only three players have scored more in the competition – Gerd Muller (14), Brazil great Ronaldo (15) and Miroslav Klose (16). Lionel Messi tied Fontaine's tally of 13 in Qatar in his fifth participation.

Forced to retire at the age of 28 due to injury, Fontaine's international record stands at 30 goals from 21 caps.

At club level, Fontaine won the Coupe de France and Ligue 1 with Nice before joining Reims, where he won a further three league titles, the Coupe de France and was twice victorious in the Trophee des Champions.

The striker was also part of the side that reached the European Cup final in 1958-59, losing to Real Madrid.

He later moved into management and took charge of Paris Saint-Germain, Tolouse and the Morocco national side.

PSG were among the clubs to send their condolences to Fontaine following confirmation of his passing on Wednesday.

A decision on New Zealand's next head coach following the Rugby World Cup in France will come in the next six weeks.

Ian Foster has confirmed he will not reapply for his role, having previously urged New Zealand Rugby (NZR) to wait until after September's World Cup to decide his successor.

However, competition for talent in the global rugby market has forced NZR's hand to begin the hunt sooner and the process is now under way.

"Following wide-ranging consultation and after carefully weighing up all scenarios and the key lessons from 2019, New Zealand Rugby is now commencing a process for selecting the All Blacks Head Coach from 2024," NZR chairwoman Patsy Reddy said in a statement.

"Noting the divergent views as to the best timings for this process and that neither timing window is perfect, out of respect for the people involved, New Zealand Rugby will not be making any further comment after today until a decision has been reached. This will be concluded in the next four to six weeks."

Scott Robertson is widely considered to be the leading candidate for the role, having lost out to Foster in 2019 but overseeing success with the Canterbury Crusaders since.

New Zealand meet Italy, Uruguay, Namibia and hosts France in the pool stage of the Rugby World Cup.

Kylian Mbappe congratulated Lionel Messi after his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate beat him to the FIFA Best Men's Player award.

Superstar Messi earned the prestigious individual accolade for the second time in his career, with the announcement made at Monday's ceremony in Paris.

The award spanned from the start of the 2021-22 season through to the end of the World Cup in Qatar, where Messi captained Argentina to victory over Mbappe's France in a memorable final in December.

Messi scored seven goals and provided three assists at the tournament to scoop the Golden Ball prize, while Mbappe also had 10 goal involvements and finished as top scorer.

Additionally, Messi scored 11 goals and claimed three assists from 18 games for PSG at the start of this campaign.

Mbappe was second in the voting ahead of Real Madrid star Karim Benzema.

Posting on Instagram after the ceremony, Mbappe wrote: "Another trophy at home. Big congratulations to @leomessi you are #TheBest."

Messi and Mbappe combined for all three goals as PSG defeated Marseille 3-0 in Ligue 1 last time out. The duo now have 10 goal combinations this season, the most in Europe's top-five leagues.

PSG, who are eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1, host Nantes next before travelling to Bayern Munich for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie where they are aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

Lionel Messi thanked his Argentina team-mates for a "dream" year after winning the Best FIFA Men's Player award for a second time.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar pipped club-mate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema to the top accolade at Monday's ceremony in Paris.

Messi played a starring role in Argentina's 2022 World Cup triumph, finishing as Golden Ball winner after scoring seven goals and assisting three more.

He also impressed at club level in the first half of the 2022-23 season, which was taken into account in the voting, after scoring 11 goals and assisting 14 more in 18 games.

That equalled the 35-year-old's tally in both categories across 34 matches in his maiden campaign at the Parc des Princes. 

Upon collecting his Best FIFA award, which he previously won in 2019, Messi said: "Wow, this is amazing. It's been a tremendous year and it's an honour to win this award.

"Without my team-mates, 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.

"It's the most wonderful thing that's happened to me in my career."

Messi joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski as two-time winners of the trophy, with Luka Modric the only other winner since the award was first handed out in 2016.

Lionel Scaloni was crowned the Best FIFA Men's Coach, meanwhile, and Emiliano Martinez ensured it was a clean sweep for Argentina by taking the Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper award.

In the women's prizes, Sarina Wiegman took the Best FIFA Women's Coach award for a third time and Alexia Putellas pipped Beth Mead to the Best FIFA Women's Player accolade.

England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps was named the Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper.

Lionel Messi, Lionel Scaloni and Emiliano Martinez made it a clean sweep for Argentina in Monday's glitzy ceremony for the Best FIFA Awards in Paris.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Messi was crowned the Best FIFA Men's Player, Scaloni took the the Best FIFA Men's Coach and Martinez the Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper.

The award period spans between the start of the 2021-22 season through to the end of the 2022 World Cup, which saw Argentina end their 36-year wait to win the competition.

Martinez, who plies his club trade for Aston Villa, finished ahead of Thibaut Courtois and Yassine Bounou of Real Madrid and Sevilla respectively in the voting – although Courtois made the cut for the FIFPro Men's World 11.

Scaloni was next to pick up an award after seeing off competition from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who won a LaLiga and Champions League double last season.

La Albiceleste have lost just one of their 23 games since the start of last season, with their solitary loss coming in their opening Qatar 2022 group game against Saudi Arabia.

Messi made it three from three for Argentina by claiming the top prize at the ceremony in the French capital, which started with a poignant tribute to Brazil great Pele.

Madrid striker Karim Benzema and Messi's PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe had also been in the running for the award.

Argentina's fans also claimed the FIFA Fan Award.

Their domination on the men's side was not quite matched by European champions England in the women's prizes.

While Argentina dominated the men's side of the voting, it was a clean sweep for England in the women's side of things.

Mary Earps was named the Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper and Sarina Wiegman took the Best FIFA Women's Coach award for a third time.

But Beth Mead was pipped to the Best FIFA Women's Player accolade by Alexia Putellas, last year's winner.

Other winners included Luka Lochoshvili, then of Austrian side Wolfsberger, in the FIFA Fair Play Award category for potentially saving the life of opponent Georg Teigl during a game after the Austria Vienna player fell unconscious mid-match.

Polish amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy won the FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal for his perfectly executed bicycle kick for Warta Poznan against Stal Rzeszow.