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Lionel Messi has been named the FIFA The Best 2023 Player of the Year ahead of the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina on December 18, but the award considered player performances between December 19, 2022 and August 2023.
Haaland had an extraordinary season with Manchester City last term, winning the European treble. City won the FA Cup, Premier League and the UEFA Champions League last term, with Haaland playing a starring role with 52 goals in 53 appearances.
Lionel Messi, though, has edged past the Norwegian and his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe to win FIFA The Best Men's Player Award. Messi made 41 appearances for PSG during the 2022-23 season, scoring 21 goals and providing 20 assists. He won his second straight Ligue 1 title with them.
The Argentina captain, who now plays for MLS club Inter Miami, has won the FIFA The Best Men's Player of the Year award four times. He had also won it in 2009, 2019 and 2022.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner keeps racking up individual accolades despite being 36. Messi, though, wasn't present in the award ceremony in London.
Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe named in FIFPro World XI
Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe were named in the FIFPro World XI 2023. The three superstars feature in a star-studded fantasy side.
Real Madrid's Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is between the sticks. The Manchester City trio of Kyle Walker (England), John Stones (England) and Ruben Dias (Portugal) are the three defenders.
The City duo of Bernardo Silva (Portugal) and Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium) are in midfieldm with Real Madrid's England international Jude Bellingham. It's worth noting that Bellingham was a Borussia Dortmund player for the considered timespan of the award.
Messi (PSG and Argentina), Haaland (Manchester City and Norway), Mbappe (PSG and France) and Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid and Brazil) complete an all-star attacking four.
