To the dismay of many, Inter Miami and Argentina international, Lionel Messi has been named the 2023 The Best FIFA Men’s Player award winner for the second successive year.
Before now, Lionel Messi who led Argentina to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar won the award in 2019 and 2022.
The 36-year-old Messi beat Manchester City and Norwegian striker, Erling Haaland and Paris Saint Germain and French forward Kylian Mbappe to win the award.
Initially, Haaland was expected to win the award after leading Manchester City to win the treble, Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup in the 2022-2023 season.
However, Messi who won French Ligue 1 with PSG, and the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami between 19 December 2022 and 20 August 2023, the assessment period, was deemed the best player in the world by FIFA.
Interestingly, both Haaland and Messi were not at the award venue in London to witness the ceremony as the co-host Thierry Henry took the trophy on behalf of Messi.
Lionel Messi has now successfully defeated Haaland for the 2023 Ballon d’Or and The Best FIFA award.
Below Are All the Winners of the 2023 The Best FIFA Awards:
1. The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper: Ederson (Brazil/Manchester City
He beats fellow goalkeepers Yassine Bounou (Morocco / Sevilla-Al Hilal) and Thibaut Courtois (Belgium / Real Madrid).
2. The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper: Mary Earps (England/Manchester United)
3. The Best FIFA Women’s Coach: Sarina Wiegman (Dutch/ England national women’s team).
4. The FIFA Puskas Award: Guilherme Madruga for his goal for Botafogo vs Novorizontino.
5. The FIFA Fair Play Award: The Brazil national team wore an all-black kit against Guinea in support of Vinícius Júnior, who was the victim of racial abuse in Spain.
6. The Best FIFA Men’s Coach: Pep Guardiola (Spanish/Manchester City)
7. The Best FIFA Fan Award: Club Atlético Colón fan Hugo Miguel Iniguez wins The Best FIFA Fan Award, having been spotted feeding his newborn baby in the stands during a Colón match in Argentina
