Lionel Messi was awarded with Fifa’s The Best award for the second year in a row.
Lionel Messi won the Leagues Cup between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX clubs at Inter Miami, being the tournament’s top scorer. PDO
On Monday, the international soccer association Fifa awarded Lionel Messi as the best male soccer player of the last season. The Argentinian, who moved to the American MLS series Inter Miami, beat rival candidates PSG’s Kylian Mbappé and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Messi also won the award a year earlier, when he had led Argentina to the World Cup gold in the Qatar Games. The World Cup gold did not affect this year’s selection, as the selections examined the performances of the players between 19.12.2022 and 20.8.2023. The World Cup final was played a day earlier on December 18, 2022.
The national team head coaches and captains, media representatives and fans voted for the best players. Messi, Mbappé and Haaland did not participate in the Fifa gala.
Aitana Bonmatí, who won the World Cup gold with Spain and the Champions League with Barcelona, was awarded as the world’s best female soccer player. The 25-year-old midfielder has cleared the awards tables in the past year, as he was awarded the Ballon d’Or, or Golden Ball, in October 2023, as the best player of the World Cup, and in August as the UEFA player of the year.
Aitana Bonmatí won The Best award for the first time in her career. EPA / AOP
The Fifa Men’s Team of the Year was dominated by Manchester City, with six players selected for the field of the year. The women’s team, on the other hand, included no less than seven England national team players.
FIFA Men’s Team of the Year
Keeper: Thibaut Courtois
Defenders: Rúben Dias, John Stones, Kyle Walker
Midfield: Jude Bellingham, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva
Forwards: Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Vinícius Júnior
FIFA Women’s Team of the Year
Keeper: Mary Earps
Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Olga Carmona, Alex Greenwood
Midfield: Aitana Bonmatí, Ella TooneKeira Walsh
Attackers: Lauren James, Sam Kerr, Alex MorganAlessia Russo