Lionel Messi has been crowned The Best FIFA Men’s Player for 2023, beating both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to the top spot once again.
He won the award at a ceremony in London, just three months after he became Ballon d’Or champion for a record-breaking eighth time.
The Argentinian was on a three-man shortlist alongside Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain talisman Kylian Mbappe but emerged top of the votes to lift the individual accolade.
Captains and coaches of national teams vote for the Best awards and Messi topped the pile despite it being a largely unspectacular 12 months for the veteran.
Messi guided Argentina to the World Cup in 2022 as the legendary player finally got his hands on football’s most iconic trophy following previous unsuccessful attempts.
The 36-year-old masterminded his nation’s triumph, twice scoring in the final, before choosing to leave a career in European football in favour of a move to Inter Miami in the MLS.
He has since starred for David Beckham’s Miami team since moving to America by scoring 11 goals in 14 appearances and winning the Leagues Cup with the team.
His latest award marks two successive years of being named FIFA’s Best Men’s Player after previously winning in 2022 and that in 2019.
The competition recognising the best global footballing talents was introduced eight years ago after splitting from the esteemed Ballon d’Or awards.
Haaland was Messi’s closest challenger for the individual FIFA title after the Norwegian starred in the Premier League during his debut year at Man City.
His stunning 52-goal season guided Pep Guardiola’s team of superstars to the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League title, making them only the second team in English football history to do so.
The extraordinary goalscoring exploits have already earned him other individual titles but they weren’t enough to see him finish ahead of Messi in either the Ballon d’Or or the Best awards.
Mbappe was the third nomination for the title after another impressive individual campaign for Paris Saint-Germain that ended PSG’s struggle to achieve their long-term aim of winning the Champions League.
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