By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Lionel Messi has been named the outstanding player of the 2026 FIFA World Cup by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), following a poll of 472 journalists from 121 countries.
According to AIPS, the Argentine captain earned 1,179 points to finish ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé (717 points) and England’s Jude Bellingham (470 points).
Spain won the World Cup title on Sunday, July 19, defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final. The match marked a symbolic transition, as the 39-year-old Messi shared the pitch with 18-year-old Spanish star Lamine Yamal.
Messi, playing in his record sixth World Cup tournament, led Argentina to the final with eight goals and four assists across eight matches, earning the tournament’s Silver Ball award. Argentina previously won the World Cup in 2022.
“The pain is immense, it will take time for this wound to heal,” Messi wrote on Instagram on Monday. “But I also choose to hold on to all the good things, all matches we turned around by giving everything and moments that will remain in our memories forever.”
Despite the final loss, Messi set or extended several World Cup records during the tournament:
- 34 career World Cup matches played.
- 23 career World Cup match wins.
- 17 knockout stage appearances.
- 12 career World Cup assists, an all-time record.
- 21 career World Cup goals, trailing only Mbappé in all-time scoring.
Mbappé, 27, led France to a fourth-place finish while breaking the all-time World Cup scoring record. He scored 10 goals during the 2026 tournament — including two in a 6-4 third-place playoff loss to England — bringing his career total to 22 goals across three World Cups. Mbappé claimed his second consecutive Golden Boot award as the tournament’s top scorer.
Bellingham, 23, powered England to third place with seven goals, setting a record for the most goals by a midfielder in a single World Cup tournament. His performance included consecutive two-goal games against Mexico in the round of 16 and Norway in the quarterfinals.
