Lionel Messi WINS FIFA Best Men’s award as the 36-year-old finishes ahead of both Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe
- Lionel Messi has won the FIFA Best Men’s award for the second year in a row
- The Argentinian finished ahead of both Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé
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Lionel Messi has won the FIFA Best Men’s Award at a ceremony in London, just three months after becoming Ballon d’Or champion for the eighth time.
The Argentine was included on the three-man shortlist alongside Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain talisman Kylian Mbappe, but came top of the votes to scoop the individual award.
National team captains and coaches vote for the top awards and Messi came top, despite it being a largely unspectacular 12 months for the veteran.
Messi guided Argentina to the World Cup in 2022 as the legendary player finally got his hands on football’s most iconic trophy after previous failed attempts.
The 36-year-old masterminded his country’s triumph by scoring twice in the final before opting to leave a career in European football in favor of a move to Inter Miami in the MLS.
Lionel Messi has won the FIFA Best Men’s Award at a ceremony in London
The Argentinian finished top of a three-man shortlist to take out the individual award
Messi failed to appear at the Best Awards as he stayed in America instead
He has since played for David Beckham’s Miami team since moving to America, scoring eleven goals in fourteen appearances and winning the Leagues Cup with the team.
His latest accolade marks him being named FIFA’s Best Men’s Player for two consecutive years, having previously won in 2022 and before that in 2019.
Messi was not present to receive his eighth best prize award because he was staying in America and did not send video recordings after being declared the winner.
Instead, it was decided that he would remain in Miami for training rather than take days off to attend the awards ceremony in the capital of London. Thierry Henry hilariously accepted the honor in the Argentine’s absence.
The competition, which recognizes the best global football talents, was introduced eight years ago after delinking from the esteemed Ballon d’Or awards.
Haaland was Messi’s closest challenger for the individual FIFA title after the Norwegian starred in the Premier League during his debut year with Man City.
Kylian MbappĂ© missed out on the Best Men’s title, despite being on the three-man shortlist
Thierry Henry had to accept the award for Best Messi while the Argentinian remained in America
Erling Haaland’s stunning 52-goal season wasn’t enough to finish above Messi in the rankings
His stunning 52-goal season guided Pep Guardiola’s superstar team to the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League title, making them only the second team in English football history to do so.
His extraordinary goalscoring achievements have already won him other individual titles, but that was not enough to see him finish ahead of Messi in the Ballon d’Or or the Best award.
Mbappé was the third nomination on the shortlist after another impressive individual campaign for Paris Saint-Germain.
The forward’s future is currently under scrutiny, with him potentially closing a deal with a foreign club during the January transfer window after entering the final months of his current PSG contract.