The International Football Federation (FIFA) has just announced the top 3 nominees for the 2023 Men's World Player of the Year award (The Best). Lionel Messi was named the winner, becoming the first player from outside Europe to be included in this list.
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| Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe are in the top 3 of The Best 2023. (Source: FIFA) |
In the process of selecting The Best 2023 award, FIFA initially chose 12 players, then eliminated 9, leaving only the 3 best.
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Erling Haaland (Man City) and Kylian Mbappe (PSG) ultimately beat out nine other nominees: Julian Alvarez, Marcelo Brozovic, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen and Declan Rice.
According to the selection criteria, FIFA The Best 2023 will consider achievements from December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023.
Explaining the selection of star Lionel Messi on this list, FIFA emphasized: "Returning after the 2022 World Cup, where Messi captivated global audiences at the age of 36, he won the Ligue 1 title with PSG. This was the second time he had won this title while playing in France."
Messi was also named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season and topped the list of top assist providers in the league.
The biggest and newest challenge for Messi's career came in July 2023, when he scored over 100 goals for the Argentina national team and became the all-time leading goalscorer in the top five European leagues.
Messi crossed the Atlantic to join Inter Miami, a transfer that was met with fervent enthusiasm from fans across North America.
He also created some of the greatest football matches of all time, keeping audiences everywhere passionately following his incredible runs even at the age of 36.
As for Haaland, the striker is a leading candidate for the FIFA The Best 2023 award thanks to his historic treble with Man City ( Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup).
The Norwegian player also scored 52 goals in 53 matches in these competitions, winning the European Golden Boot, the Premier League Golden Boot, and a double of Premier League Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards.
PSG's Mbappe is also in the top 3 but is not considered a strong contender for the award. In terms of performance, Mbappe scored 17 goals in 20 Ligue 1 matches, but he underperformed when PSG were eliminated from the Champions League round of 16.
In addition to announcing the top 3 nominees for the Best Men's Player award, FIFA also announced the top 3 best men's football coaches, including Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Simone Inzaghi (Inter), and Luciano Spalletti (Napoli and the Italian national team). Last year's winner was Lionel Scaloni (Argentina).
In the women's category, the top 3 nominees for the FIFA Women's Player of the Year 2023 award are Aitana Bonmati, Linda Caicedo, and Jennifer Hermoso.
FIFA's The Best award was established in 2016, replacing the previous Ballon d'Or title. After seven award ceremonies, four players have been honored: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi (both twice), and Luka Modric.
The official results will be announced at The Best 2023 awards ceremony on January 15, 2024.
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