Lionel Messi may have left the limelight of European football behind, but he remains a magnet to the game’s biggest awards after being crowned FIFA’s best men’s player for 2023 on Monday.The selection of the 36-year-old over pretenders to his crown Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe was a controversial one in the year Messi took what many see as the step down in standard to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. Yet, Messi’s pulling power was still in evidence last year as he quickly conquered the United States.The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner dragged a hitherto struggling squad to the first trophy ever won by the franchise, which is co-owned by David Beckham, by lifting the Leagues Cup in August.He also racked up another league title at Paris Saint-Germain prior to leaving Europe behind, but his final few months in the French capital were far from plain sailing.Messi was booed by the PSG crowd and even suspended by the club for an unauthorized trip to fulfill commercial contracts in Saudi Arabia.That led to the sense of a genius in decline, albeit one whose peak was arguably higher than anyone before him.🚨 Lionel Messi is the first player in HISTORY to win the Ballon d’Or & FIFA Best Player awards for 3 different clubs 🤯🇪🇸 Barcelona: ✅🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain: ✅🇺🇸 Inter Miami: ✅ pic.twitter.com/EFJUSVjWiS— Exclusive Messi (@ExclusiveMessi) January 15, 2024 Yet, if Haaland could feel aggrieved that his time is yet to come after scoring 52 goals and winning the treble in his debut season at Manchester City, he need only listen to his manager.Pep Guardiola was one of those honored as coach of the year at FIFA’s awards ceremony in London after masterminding City’s Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup success last season.Guardiola is fully aware of the generational great he was blessed to see up close in four years as Barcelona boss in Messi.”Always I said that the Ballon d’Or should be in two sections, one for Messi, and after look for the other one, so Haaland should win, yes,” said Guardiola ahead of October’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.”We won the treble because he scored 50 million goals but of course Messi…the worst season for Messi is the best for the rest of the players.”The first player to achieve The Best award from FIFA outside Europe!The first player to win the Ballon d’Or outside Europe! Leo Messi is the 🐐 pic.twitter.com/A1CN0dTig7— Leo Messi 🔟 Fan Club (@WeAreMessi) January 16, 2024 It was in scoring 672 goals in 778 appearances for Barca that the tiny man lured to Catalonia from Rosario became a giant of the modern game.A darting, slightly injury-prone young winger – who needed Barcelona to pay for growth hormone treatment as a teenager – became a devastating ‘false nine’, lethal free-kick taker and later the ultimate playmaker.He even soared to score a memorable header in a Champions League final over Manchester United – one of four times he conquered Europe with Barca.There were also 10 La Liga titles, seven Copas del Rey and three Club World Cups with the Catalan giants.Yet the trophy that mattered most took the longest to arrive. For years Messi struggled with the burden to lead his country to glory, like Diego Maradona did for Argentina at the 1986 World Cup.Four shots on the global stage passed Messi by, from fleeting appearances as a wonder kid in 2006 through his prime years, including a heartbreaking final defeat to Germany in 2014.When a teenage Mbappe ran riot to give France a 4-3 victory over La Albiceleste in 2018, there appeared to be a passing of the baton in football’s global order.##NAJAVA_MECA_7805356##Yet, Messi defied father time and Mbappe’s brilliance when the two faced off once more in arguably the World Cup’s greatest-ever game in the final of 2022.Mbappe scored three times to Messi’s two in a captivating 3-3 draw in Doha, but Argentina prevailed on penalties to finally allow Messi to follow in Maradona’s footsteps.The next wave of superstars, led by Mbappe, Haaland and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior are coming, but the respect for Messi from players, fans and journalists has forced them to wait another year for the big individual awards.At last night’s award ceremony, Haaland was favourite to win after scoring 52 times in his debut season with City as the English side won a treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.After receiving the same number of points from a scoring system based off votes from national team captains, coaches, journalists and fans, Messi was crowned victor thanks to more first-choice nominations.Messi’s former club teammate Kylian Mbappe was third.However, all three of the men’s finalists did not attend the ceremony leaving Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry, who was co-hosting the event, to pick up the award in Messi’s absence.Lionel Messi clinched the FIFA Best Men’s award for an unprecedented third time, sharing the top spot in voting with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. So why was Lionel Messi crowned FIFA’s The Best men’s player award despite finishing LEVEL in voting with the treble winning… pic.twitter.com/FXzwjBR2gL— The FTBL Index 🎙 ⚽ (@TheFTBLIndex) January 16, 2024 Arsenal Legend, Thierry Henry mocks co-host Reshmin Chowdhury, a Spurs fan, saying. “You’re a Spurs fan and you don’t usually get your hands on trophy so i probably have to take this one”.When accepting The Best FIFA Men’s players award on behalf of Lionel Messi. 😅 pic.twitter.com/mJZbT9VFFL— Carol Radull (@CarolRadull) January 16, 2024 Aitana Bonmati’s selection as the best women’s player was never in doubt as she completed a clean sweep of personal awards after helping Spain to win the World Cup and Barcelona to Champions League glory in 2023.The 25-year-old also won the Ballon d’Or, Golden Ball for player of the World Cup and UEFA’s player of the year in recent months.”A couple of weeks ago when 2023 came to an end I was nostalgic because 2023 was an exceptional and unique year I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Bonmati.”I’m proud of being part of a powerful generation of women who are changing the rules of the game and the world.”SHE’S THE BEST ✨🇪🇸Aitana Bonmatí shares a speech after winning the 2023 FIFA Best Women’s Player Award 🏆 pic.twitter.com/eU5RFAPTS3— Successful Football News (@Football416News) January 16, 2024 Guardiola was named best coach after masterminding City’s first ever Champions League success.”We’re here because we won a lot and the thousands of people involved in our success,” said Guardiola.”I’m really happy for the season we had because it was an incredible journey. In the end we did it, but the pleasure of being there was incredible.”Haaland was joined by five of his club teammates – Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne – in the team of the year.Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, Messi and Mbappe made up the 11.City’s Ederson won men’s goalkeeper of the year, while England and Manchester United stopper Mary Earps picked up the women’s award.Pep Guardiola has just been adjudged Coach of the Year at FIFA Football Awards 2023.The Manchester City coach has dedicated the award to his 92-year-old father who is here at the event in London @OseiAkoto_Kanu @TheOnlyBKB @SaddickAdams @akomeahmessiah @quame_age @gyaigyimii pic.twitter.com/O70lGk9cH5— AshesGyamera (ASHES)🇬🇭 (@ashesgyamera) January 15, 2024 England national team boss Sarina Wiegman won the women’s coach of the year after leading the Lionesses to the World Cup final.Seven of England’s women were included in the team of the year: Earps, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo, Lauren James and Ella Toone.Olga Carmona, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, was the only other Spaniard included alongside Bonmati with American star Alex Morgan and Australia’s Sam Kerr also selected.The Brazilian men’s team won the fair play award after they dawned an all black shirt for the first time in a show of support for forward Vinicius, who suffered several incidents of racist abuse while playing for Madrid last year.There was also Brazilian success in the Puskas award for the best goal, scored by Botafogo’s Guilherme Madruga for his spectacular overhead kick.🚨💥 Guilherme Madruga wins the FIFA Puskas Award 2023 🏆 pic.twitter.com/cQ5FO3uyDC— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) January 15, 2024 © Agence France-Presse
