Publication date: January 16, 2024 09:08
Lionel Messi poses with his eighth Ballon d’Or at the Noce d’Or ceremony before the match at DRV PNK Stadium, Florida, on November 10, 2023. Argentine Messi retained the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year trophy on Monday. (Reuters photo)
LONDON: Argentina’s Lionel Messi on Monday defeated Manchester City’s treble-winning Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and France’s Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé to retain the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year trophy. .
Spain’s 2023 World Cup winner Aitana Bommatti has been named the Women’s Player of the Year.
Messi, who led Argentina to victory at the World Cup and also won the men’s award in 2022, followed that success by winning the Ligue 1 title with PSG alongside Mbappe before moving to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
Voted Player of the Year by the national team’s coaches, captains, journalists and fans, the 36-year-old scored 10 goals to help Inter Miami win the 2023 League Cup (a competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX team). contributed to.
Messi was not present to receive the trophy.
The award period for the men’s award runs from December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023, starting the day after the World Cup final in Qatar.
Haaland, who scored 52 goals in 53 games in all competitions during the 2022-23 season and helped City win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble, finished second in the voting.
The 23-year-old earned the same points as Messi, but was eliminated because he received fewer first-place votes from the national team captain.
City’s Josep Guardiola won the award for best men’s coach. The Spaniard, who achieved the same feat with Barcelona in 2008-09 before winning the treble with City last season, dedicated the award to fellow nominees Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti.
Inzaghi led Inter Milan to the 2023 Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to City, while Spalletti won Serie A with Napoli, ending the club’s 33-year title wait. hit.
Sarina Wiegmann won the Best Women’s Coach award after leading England to the World Cup final, where they lost 1-0 to Spain.
Seven of her Lionesses were named to the Women’s World Eleven, including Mary Earps, who also won the Best Female Goalkeeper award.
In the men’s category, Brazil’s Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson won the award.