Headline: The Race for FIFA’s Best Men’s Player in 2023 Heats Up Among Messi, Mbappé, and Haaland
The FIFA award for the best men’s player in 2023 will be a competition among Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland.
FIFA revealed the list on Thursday, and it includes the same top three players as the Ballon d’Or prize, which Messi won in October.
Even though the Ballon d’Or voting considered the 2022 World Cup, where Argentina, led by Messi, emerged victorious, he had already received his seventh FIFA award in February for his outstanding performances in winning the title in Qatar.
#TheBest FIFA Men's Player Finalists! 🏆🤩
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 14, 2023
🇳🇴 Erling Haaland
🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe
🇦🇷 Lionel Messi
Learn more about the final three. 👀🧵
The shortlist for the best women’s player includes Aitana Bonmatí and Jenni Hermoso from Spain, both winners of the 2023 World Cup, along with Linda Caicedo from Colombia.
The FIFA men’s award for 2023 considers Haaland’s exceptional season, where he played a key role in Manchester City achieving a triple title win in the Champions League, English Premier League, and FA Cup.
Messi and Mbappé secured victory in the French league with Paris Saint-Germain, but their team got knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16. Messi later joined Inter Miami and played a crucial role in the team’s swift success, winning the Leagues Cup.
Bonmatí not only clinched the women’s Ballon d’Or in October but also received a UEFA award in August as the best player in Europe for the previous season. Additionally, she played a vital role in Barcelona’s victories in the Women’s Champions League and the Spanish league.
In August, during her acceptance speech, Bonmatí showed support for her teammate Hermoso. This came after Hermoso experienced an incident where she was kissed on the lips without her consent by Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation, during the World Cup trophy ceremony in Sydney.
Three weeks after the August 20 final, Rubiales resigned from his position, and the consequences of this decision led to the removal of women’s team coach Jorge Vilda from his job. As a result, Vilda was excluded from the FIFA ballot for the coaching award in women’s soccer.
