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Lionel Messi has won the FIFA The Best Men's Player Award for 2023 despite finishing on the same points as second-placed Erling Haaland.
This is due to the rules set by the governing body that the player with the most votes from the national teams' captains will be named the winner. Both Messi and Haaland received 48 points from the votes of coaches and captains of national teams, media personalities, and fans.
Messi received 13 votes from captains, 11 from both coaches and media, and 13 from fans. Haaland, meanwhile, received 11 votes from captains, 13 each from coaches and media, and 11 more from fans.
Messi's superior tally from captains' votes helped him win the award in 2023. His ex-Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe finished third in the standings with a total of 35 points. The Frenchman bagged nine votes each from captains, coaches, and media, and eight more from fans.
Lionel Messi has now won the FIFA The Best Men's Player award for the fourth time in his legendary career, having previously won it in 2009, 2019, and 2022. While he won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, that wasn't taken into consideration.
The governing body announced that players' performances from December 19, 2022 (a day after the FIFA World Cup final) to August 2023 were taken into account.
Messi won the Ligue 1 title with PSG in that span. He ended the 2022–23 season with 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 appearances for the French club. Erling Haaland, meanwhile, won the European treble during the FIFA The Best Award's judgment phase.
He had a stellar campaign with Manchester City last term, scoring 52 goals in 53 appearances. City won the FA Cup, the Premier League, and the UEFA Champions League to cap off a sensational season last term.
Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland have both missed the FIFA The Best ceremony
Both Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland were absent from the FIFA The Best Ceremony at London's Eventim Apollo Venue. The Best Men's Player winner has prioritized his pre-season with Inter Miami.
He didn't take on the load of flying across the Atlantic to attend the event. Any official statement of Haaland's absence, though, wasn't given. The Norwegian has been nursing a bone stress injury and hasn't played since early December.
He was in Italy during the weekend. Haaland is also expected to be a part of the Manchester City squad that will travel to the UAE to conclude mid-season training in warm weather.
