Lionel Messi overcame Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to win the FIFA The Best award for the third time.
FIFA The Best 2023 awards ceremony
Messi was once again named the winner of FIFA The Best 2023 even though the Argentine superstar was not present in London (UK) to receive the award. Messi has now won this prestigious award more than any other player in history with 3 honors, after 2019 and 2022.
Messi won FIFA The Best for the third time
The result surprised many fans because Haaland was the strongest candidate for FIFA The Best 2023. The Norwegian striker scored 52 goals in his first season with Man City, making a great contribution to helping the English team. won the great “treble” of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
According to the voting results, Messi and Haaland received equal points based on votes from journalists, fans, captain and national team coach (both 48 points). However, the Argentine superstar won by receiving more votes from the national team captains (13 compared to Haaland’s 11 points). Messi’s former teammate at PSG, Mbappe, is third with 35 points.
Coach Pep Guardiola received FIFA’s 2023 best male coach award
Six Man City players, including Haaland, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, were in the team of the year, the most for a club since Barcelona had six representatives in 2010 under during the time of coach Pep Guardiola.
In the women’s category, Aitana Bonmati’s election as the best female player of 2023 is less controversial. The reason is because the Barcelona star swept the individual awards after helping Spain win the Women’s World Cup and Barcelona win the Champions League in 2023.
The 25-year-old female player also won the 2023 Golden Ball, the 2023 Women’s World Cup Golden Ball and the 2023 UEFA Player of the Year.
| Some other notable awards at FIFA The Best 2023
Puskas Award (Best Goal of the Year): Guilherme Madruga (Botafogo-SP) FIFA Fair Play Award: Brazil National Team Team of the year: Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Kyle Walker (Man City), Ruben Dias (Man City) Midfielders: Bernardo Silva (Man City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) Forwards: Erling Haaland (Man City), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) |
