Lionel Messi secured his third FIFA The Best men’s award on Monday, surpassing Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian MbappĂ©.
Messi, 36, started 2023 at Paris St-Germain and later transferred to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer in June. He clinched the high-quality men’s player award for the third time (2019, 2022, and 2024).
His accolades are largely attributed to his contributions at PSG and Inter Miami, where he triumphed in Ligue 1 with PSG and led Miami to their first-ever trophy, the Leagues Cup. Internationally, Messi helped Argentina secure the top spot in CONMEBOL’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification after six games.
The winners had been determined through an aggregate of votes from national team managers, captains, journalists, and fans on FIFA’s website, each carrying 25%.
Messi and Haaland tied in points, but Messi secured the award with more first-place nominations from national team captains.
Notable votes for Messi were cast by Harry Kane, Mbappe, Salah, Robertson, Ramsey, and Modric. Haaland received support from Gundogan and Casemiro, including a vote from Messi. Southgate voted for Haaland, while Page and Clarke voted for Messi. Lyle Taylor selected Declan Rice, Georgi Dzhikiya voted for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Roberto Martinez voted for Marcelo Brozovic.
Messi is crowned #TheBest! 👑🇦🇷
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— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) January 15, 2024
