LONDON: At the London awards ceremony on Monday, Lionel Messi was crowned as FIFA’s best men’s player for 2023, and Aitana Bonmati added further individual honors to her collection.
On an otherwise fantastic evening for Manchester City, Messi unexpectedly defeated Erling Haaland to win the Ballon d’Or for a record third time.
The period from August 2023 to December 2022, following Messi’s lead Argentina to World Cup victory, was the only one covered by the award.
Despite winning the League 1 championship, the 36-year-old’s time with Paris Saint-Germain ended quietly until he joined Inter Miami of the Major League Soccer in June.
Messi established himself in the United States quite fast after leading the team—which David Beckham owns a portion of—to their first championship in August, when they won the Leagues Cup.
After scoring 52 goals in his City debut season, where the English team won the FA Cup, the Premier League, and the Champions League, Haaland was the clear favorite to win.
Less debate surrounded Bonmati’s choice as the best women’s player because, in 2023, she helped Barcelona win the Champions League and Spain win the World Cup, completing a perfect sweeping of personal honors.
In recent months, the 25-year-old also took home the Ballon d’Or, Golden Ball, and UEFA Player of the Year awards for his performance during the World Cup.
“A couple of weeks ago when 2023 came to an end I was nostalgic because 2023 was an exceptional and unique year I will remember for the rest of my life,” Bonmati remarked.
