The captain of Argentina’s national team and the star forward for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer both named Erling Haaland, the Norwegian striker from Manchester City, as the standout football player of 2023. FIFA, the global governing body for the sport, published the relevant details about the annual awards, underscoring the remarkable performances across leagues and continents that defined a transformative year for the sport.
Lionel Messi, who earned a FIFA nomination for the best player of 2023, placed Kylian Mbappé from PSG in second and Julián Álvarez from Manchester City in third in the final rankings. Messi and Haaland finished with identical points, but the tiebreaker went to the Argentine captain because more voters from national team captains cast their ballots in his favor. This outcome highlighted the weight of peer recognition among elite players and the nuance involved in mixed voting pools that include coaches, players, and media members from around the world, including many from North America where Messi has been a high-profile figure in recent seasons.
Messi did not attend the awards ceremony, a detail that initially sparked discussion about the voting results and whether attendance might reflect broader reactions to the outcome. Sports broadcaster DSports suggested that Messi’s absence could be tied to how the voting turned out, though the exact reasons for his decision were not publicly confirmed by the player or his representatives. The absence added another layer of intrigue to a night already charged with anticipation among fans and analysts alike, who followed the ceremony across leagues including MLS and Ligue 1 as well as the Premier League clubs that contributed to the year’s statistics and debates.
Messi’s move from PSG to Inter Miami in the summer of 2023 marked a significant shift in his club career and accelerated the cross-continental impact of American soccer on a global stage. In August of the previous year, he helped Inter Miami win the League Cup, securing the first major trophy for the club in its American campaign. Over 14 appearances with Inter Miami, Messi contributed 11 goals and 5 assists, a tally that underscored his enduring ability to influence games at the highest level while helping to elevate the profile of MLS in a crowded international landscape. With MLS taking a seasonal pause before its next campaign, Messi’s continued influence both on and off the pitch remains a focal point for fans and pundits who track player trajectories, league growth, and the broader appeal of football in North America. In October, Messi added the eighth Ballon dOr of his career to an already historic resume, a milestone that kept him at the center of conversations about greatness and longevity in the sport.
Earlier in December 2022, Messi achieved another milestone by lifting the World Cup trophy with the Argentine national team. This triumph marked the first time he captured the sport’s most coveted prize, sealing a chapter of accomplishment that echoed across his club and international performances. In the tournament, Messi scored seven goals across seven matches, with four goals coming from penalties, a testament to his composure and skill in high-pressure moments that defined Argentina’s campaign on the world stage. The victory reinforced his status among the all-time greats and provided a defining moment in a career marked by consistency, leadership, and a deep connection with fans around the world. The season and the World Cup exploits together shaped a narrative about Messi’s enduring influence on football, both at the domestic league level and in global competitions that captivate audiences far beyond his homeland.
There had been reports suggesting that Cristiano Ronaldo did not participate in the FIFA voting process, a note that added to the ongoing discussion about how ballots are allocated and the transparency of the awards. The interplay between players, national associations, and governing bodies in the voting framework continues to spark debate among fans who follow every twist and turn in the year’s awards cycle. For observers, these dynamics offer insight into how prestige is distributed, how performance is quantified across leagues, and how individual legacies are weighed alongside team achievements. The year 2023, punctuated by Messi’s World Cup heroics, Haaland’s exceptional consistency, and the shifting landscape of club football across Europe and North America, demonstrated the complexity and excitement of football’s global ecosystem. The end result reflects not only the numbers on the scoreboard but the broader story of influence, leadership, and recognition in the modern game.