Lionel Messi wins The Best Fifa Men's Player of 2023

Tom Weber

• Updated: 15 Jan 2024 21:26 GMT
• 3 min read

Lionel Messi has won the 2023 iteration of the prestigious Best Fifa Men's Player award.

The Argentine legend has been crowned as the best player in the world over the calendar year of 2023, making it back-to-back wins after also claiming the 2022 award.

Though Messi's World Cup triumph with Argentine technically did not fall into the qualifying period, it is difficult to imagine that it did not weigh heavily on the minds of voters given that he beat out competition from treble-winning goal machine Erling Haaland.

The 2023 award was Messi's third overall Best Fifa Men's Player award and came mere weeks after the 36-year-old won his record eighth Ballon d'Or.

Messi's exploits with PSG and Inter Miami in 2023 were deemed good enough to beat Haaland and former teammate Kylian Mbappe to the award. The Argentine helped PSG win the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season and also led David Beckham's Inter Miami to their first-ever piece of silverware by winning Leagues Cup.

Messi makes Best XI

Messi was, unsurprisingly, also included in FIFPro's Men's Best XI, along with the other finalists Haaland and Mbappe. The Best XI was dominated by Man City and Real Madrid players.

GK: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)

DEF: Kyle Walker (Man City)

DEF: John Stones (Man City)

DEF: Ruben Dias (Man City)

MID: Bernardo Silva (Man City)

MID: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund/Real Madrid)

MID: Kevin de Bruyne (Man City)

FOR: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

FOR: Lionel Messi (PSG/Inter Miami)

FOR: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

FOR: Erling Haaland (Man City)

Intriguingly, Madrid's Thibaut Courtois was named as the Best XI's goalkeeper, but it was City's Ederson who took home the Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Pep Guardiola was named the Best Fifa Men's Coach for leading Man City to a historic treble. The 2023 Best Fifa Football Awards were held in London on January 15, 2024.

Every The Best FIFA Award Winner 2023