Lionel Messi has been crowned The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2023, retaining the title he won in 2022.
The Argentine has been bestowed with the honour once again following another period. Messi was recognised for his achievements at The Best FIFA Football Awards™ ceremony in London, having come out on top in the voting ahead of finalists Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
Messi topped an incredibly closely-contested poll which was voted for by national team coaches and captains as well as expert journalists and supporters across the globe.
With the 2022 World Cup winner and Norway international Haaland locked together on 48 scoring points, they were separated by the number of first-choice nominations which Messi received in votes from national team captains, as per the Rules of Allocation (article 12). France striker Mbappe finished third with 35 points.
Messi also won the 2019 Best FIFA Men’s Player award and was recognised by FIFA as the leading player in the men’s game on five occasions prior to that – 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 – making this his eighth individual award in total. Was he the right choice?
