Football’s governing body, FIFA, finally crowned the most outstanding performers of the previous calendar year in Paris, France.
The Best FIFA Football Awards took to the French capital, where various football accolades were handed out on Monday evening.
National team coaches and captains, journalists, and fans all over the world had a chance to vote for the FIFA Best Men’s Player award.
Representing the Zambia national team were assistant coach Moses Sichone and acting captain Lubambo Musonda. The duo each selected their own top three candidates for the crown.
The former Zambian international, Sichone decided to select Argentine playmaker Lionel Messi as his first choice.
The gaffer then opted for the Real Madrid duo of Luka Modric and Karim Benzema in the second and third positions, respectively. Surprisingly, the man on the touchline snubbed World Cup final hat-trick hero Kylian Mbappe.
Musonda remains devoted to Mane on FIFA “The Best” Choice
Following Enock Mwepu’s retirement, Danish-based winger, Musonda was tasked with the responsibility of representing the Chipolopolo armband.
The AC Horsens man also backed eventual winner Messi to claim the gold following the latter’s Golden Ball-winning performances in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Ballon d’Or holder Benzema ranked second on Musonda’s list after his heroic displays in the UEFA Champions League last year.
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And finally, Musonda placed 2022 African Cup of Nations winner Sadio Mane, third on his ballot.
Musonda will look to emulate the resilience and class that Mane and his team showed to win the AFCON title last year.
However, the Copper Bullets first have to get past their qualifying fixtures against Lesotho, Ivory Coast, and the Comoros Islands before they can compete for the prize.
They are sitting second in Group H with 3 points behind Ivory Coast, who top the group with 4 points. Comoros is in third place with 3 points, while Lesotho is at the bottom with just a point.
On March 20th, 2023, Musonda will lead the Copper Bullets when they host Lesotho in the qualifiers.
