Lionel Messi beat these players to win the prestigious award for the first time in his career

Lionel Messi has bettered superstar athletes like Kylian Mbappe, Max Verstappen, Stephen Curry, and more to win the Champion of Champions award, presented by L'Equipe. The feat comes as a result of Argentina's triumph in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Messi finished ahead of his club teammate Mbappe in the rankings for the award.

While the Argentine has accumulated a massive 808 points, the Frenchman is a distant second with 381.

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal finished third with 285 points. Belgian cyclist Remco Evenopoel has taken up the fourth spot on the list. F1 superstar Max Verstappen is in the fifth spot.

Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema finished sixth. Olympian Arman Duplantis finished seventh.

NBA legend Stephen Curry has finished in the eighth spot. French Rugby player Antoine Dupont is ninth on the list. Romanian swimmer David Popovici completes the top 10.

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