Winner's name reportedly leaked after Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema make it to top 3 of FIFA The Best Award

A reported 'leak' has suggested Lionel Messi is the winner of the 2022 edition of FIFA The Best award.

The finalists' names were revealed earlier this month, with Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema making it to the shortlist. It is now believed the Argentine superstar will beat Mbappe and Benzema to take home the award.

Argentinian journalist Francesc Aguilar recently reported that the Paris Saint-Germain attacker will take home the trophy. He added that FIFA are handing him the award to rub it in the faces of L'Equipe and France Football.

Those are the two organizations responsible for the Ballon d'Or nominations, where the 35-year-old did not make the cut in 2022. Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema ended up as the winner of that trophy.

Adding further salt to the wound, the ceremony for The Best award is being held in Paris.

A win would mean Messi would take home his second The Best award, having previously won it in 2019. His first season with the Ligue 1 giants after leaving Barcelona was poor, but under new manager Christophe Galtier, he has once again found his magic.

The 35-year-old has 16 goals and 14 assists in 27 appearances for the French team.

Messi also had a scintillating World Cup, leading Argentina to their third trophy. He bagged seven goals and three assists en route to a Golden Ball trophy for the tournament's best player.

The other finalists, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema, have had fantastic seasons in their own right. Mbappe has 27 goals and six assists in 28 appearances for PSG. He also scored eight goals in a World Cup campaign that saw him take home the Golden Boot award.

Benzema, on the other hand, has 18 goals and five assists this season for Real Madrid.

MLS side Inter Miami confirm interest in signing Lionel Messi

The Argentine's next destination could be the MLS.

Major League Soccer team Inter Miami have displayed interest in signing Lionel Messi, while also trying to bring his former teammate Sergio Busquets to the US. This was confirmed by the team's manager, Phil Neville, who said:

“We want to bring the best players in the world to this football club. Messi and Busquets are the two that stand out more in recent years,” he said. “They’re great players who would still be a massive benefit to this organisation. For MLS, it would be a game-changer.

The 35-year-old signed a two-year deal with PSG in 2021, and the deal is set to expire this summer. It remains to be seen if he will extend his stay in the French capital or move elsewhere.