Lionel Messi, the Argentine player for Inter Miami, has been named the best men's soccer player for the second consecutive year at The Best FIFA Football Awards in London. This recognition follows his outstanding performance at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In the voting breakdown, Messi and Erling Haaland both received 48 points each from a global panel consisting of national team coaches, captains, selected journalists, and online fan votes. To break the tie, the criterion was the number of first-place or "5-point" scores from the votes of national team captains. Messi secured 107 first-place votes compared to Haaland's 64, making him the winner of the Men's Player of the Year award. Surprisingly, none of the three finalists, including Kylian Mbappé, attended the awards ceremony at Hammersmith Apollo theater in west London.

Messi secured the Men's Player of the Year award for the third time in his career, previously winning in 2019, 2022, and now 2023, since the award's inception in 2016. The previous recipients include Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016 and 2017, Luka Modric in 2018, and Robert Lewandowski in 2020 and 2021. FIFA's criteria for the award considered performances spanning from December 19, 2022, to August 20, 2023, during which Messi exhibited exceptional football prowess to clinch the prestigious title.

Argentina's historic victory, played a crucial role in securing his third Men's Player of the Year award. Winning the Golden Ball, scoring seven goals, and achieving various milestones, Messi left an indelible mark on the tournament. His stellar contributions continued post-World Cup, with impressive performances for PSG and a key role in Inter Miami's Leagues Cup triumph, influencing voters and solidifying Messi's claim to the prestigious award.

Haaland and Mbappé presented strong cases for the award. Haaland's impressive goal-scoring record of 28 goals in 36 club games, contributing significantly to Manchester City's treble success, followed by three goals for Norway, showcased his prolific form. Meanwhile, Mbappé maintained a remarkable goal-per-game ratio during the eligibility period, excelling for PSG and France in European Championship qualifying matches.

In contrast, Messi's post-World Cup performance with PSG, while solid with nine goals and six assists in 22 games, was considered less spectacular. Despite this, voters favored Messi's overall contributions, and the focus on goalkeeping excellence saw Ederson and Mary Earps clinch the best goalkeeper awards for their outstanding performances with Brazil and Manchester City, and England and Manchester United, respectively.

The Winners:

⚫ The Best FIFA Women's Player: Aitana Bonmati

⚫ The Best FIFA Men's Player: Lionel Messi

⚫ The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper: Mary Earps

⚫ The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper: Ederson

⚫ The Best FIFA Women's Coach: Sarina Wiegman

⚫ The Best FIFA Men's Coach: Pep Guardiola

⚫ The FIFA Puskás Award: Guilherme Madruga

⚫ The FIFA Special Award: Marta

⚫ The FIFA Fair Play Award: Brazil men’s national team

⚫ The FIFA Fan Award: Hugo Daniel “Toto” Iniguez

Stick with https://k8airdrop.com/ for more Sports, esport, games, news, guides, and more!

Discover the thrill of cutting-edge online slot games! Visit  http://k8.io/ now for an unparalleled gaming experience with the latest and greatest slot games.