Lionel Messi might have left European football, but his lasting legacy is so strong that he is still winning marquee titles. Messi has been awarded FIFA’s “The Best” title for the third time in his career, making the player with the most titles in the award history.
Before this win, he was level at two with Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo. With this title, he adds to previously won titles in 2019 and 2022 to stand atop the mountain as the sole leader.
He beat out competition from Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to secure his award and one would presume that those two names will be seen a lot more in this discussion going forward, perhaps even beating Messi’s record one day.
But for now, the old dog is still showing pups the way.
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Lionel Messi’s 2023 – Not just about the goals
The raw stats aren’t as exciting anymore. Rather, it’s the momentary brilliance and the feeling of watching something magical that is driving voters to Lionel Messi.
In 2023 alone, he had 36 appearances across all competitions, scoring 20 goals and providing 11 assists. Those would be world-class numbers for most players on earth but for Messi, they make him look mortal.
He played for two teams- Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami FC. Such was his impact on the latter team that he won their MVP award after almost dragging a team at the bottom of the standings to a potential playoff spot.
He was the architect of the first trophy in Inter Miami’s history, with his 10 goals and an assist powering his team to their maiden Leagues Cup victory.
Overall, in the 2022/23 season, he made 55 appearances, scoring 32 goals and assisting 25.
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He was named Times magazine’s Athlete of the Year as his arrival in the USA started a cultural revolution as the country went crazy for football.
Therefore, while one look at the raw stats might make this choice a baffling one, Messi has won this award for his impact on the game which transcends just football.
It was the year when Messi showed that he could boss football games even at half-effort and fitness. He showed that he is not just a legendary player, he pretty much IS the game when he went to the USA.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland scored more, assisted more, and even won more “prestigious” trophies than the Leagues Cup but nobody captures the imagination of the football fan quite like “La Pulga“.
It might be his last award of this kind before he walks off into the sunset in a grave loss for football but this title means that he walked away while at the top.
Other Awards
The FIFA Women’s Player of the Year had a tough fight with Aitana Bonmati, Linda Caicedo, and Jennifer Hermoso in the race for the awards. However, in the end, it was won by Bonmati, who had an impressive season where she won a treble with Barcelona and the FIFA World Cup with Spain.
Bonmati scored 17 goals for Barcelona and was an integral part of Spain’s team that won the World, having previously never gone past the Round of 16. Their World Cup win also came in just their third appearance at the tournament.
If Lionel Messi ended the night with the Best Player Award, his former coach, Pep Guardiola, joined him on the winners’ list as he was adjudged the best FIFA Men’s Coach. Guardiola won the award after an incredible season where he helped Manchester City win the treble, which included a maiden Champions League title.
Guardiola defeated Simone Inzaghi, whose team Inter Milan he defeated to win the Champions League, and Luciano Spalletti, who helped Napoli win their first Serie A title in over three decades.
In the FIFA Women’s category, the award went to Sarina Wiegman, who took the England national football team to their first final appearance. Weigman has been in the role of the 2021. She defeated Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, who won the double with the Blues, and Jonatan Giraldez, who won the treble with Barcelona.
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The FIFPRO Men’s Best XI, which featured six players from Manchester City’s title-winning squad, was also announced on the night. Others to join them were the Real Madrid trio of Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Jr, with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe filling the last two spots.
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Defenders: John Stones, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias
Midfielders: Bernardo Silva, Jude Bellingham, Kevin De Bruyne
Forwards: Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Vinicius Jr
And like their male counterparts, the FIFPRO Women’s Best XI also featured players from the World Cup finalists England and Spain, who took nine of the 11 spots in the team. From the England side, Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Lauren James, Ella Toone and Alessia Russo made the squad, while Olga Camona and Aitana Bonmati represented Spain.
Goalkeeper: Mary Earps
Defenders: Olga Carmona, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood
Midfielders: Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo, Lauren James, Ella Toone, Aitana Bonmati
Forwards: Alex Morgan, Sam Kerr
The Women’s and Men’s Best Goalkeeper awards were won by Mary Earps and Manchester City’s Ederson.
The Puskas award was won by Guilherme Madruga of Botafogo who scored a brilliant overhead kick in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B.
Brazilian legend Marta, who retired earlier this year, was given a special award by FIFA to celebrate her outstanding achievements in women’s games. Marta is the only player apart from Cristiano Ronaldo and Christine Sinclair. It was also announced that next year, the FIFA Puskas Award will have a special category for Women, which will be named after Marta.
FIFA also gave tributes to England World Cup winning star Bobby Charlton, Brazilian legend Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer both of whom won the World Cup both as a player and manager. Sadly, all three legends passed away last year.