Lionel Messi. Photo: Collected
Lionel Messi has won The Best FIFA Men's Player award, beating fellow nominees Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to the gong at a ceremony in London. Messi is perhaps a surprise winner, given the voting period did not include the 2022 World Cup, when he sensationally led Argentina to the trophy.
Messi's World Cup exploits appeared to have cast a long shadow. During the period that applies to the award, he scored nine goals in 21 matches for Paris Saint-Germain.
In the summer he left at the end of his contract, joining up with MLS side Inter Miami despite a mooted return to Barcelona. He was part of the team that won the Leagues Cup, and also scored 11 times in 14 matches with his new team. For the national team, he has five goals in three games.
Haaland was widely tipped to win the award after enjoying an exceptional 2023, winning the Treble under Pep Guardiola in his first season at the Etihad Stadium.
In his debut Premier League campaign, he crushed the goalscoring record with 36 goals in 35 appearances - while he bagged an astonishing 52 goals in all competitions.
Messenger/Disha
