The Argentina Captain Lionel Messi has been named the 2023 FIFA Player of the Year, winning the award for the 3rd time after previous wins in 2019 and 2022.
The Argentine legend, who also collected his 8th Ballon d’Or award in October for leading his country to World Cup glory in 2022, saw off competition from Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City goalkeeper Erling Haaland.
During the qualifying period from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023, Messi left European football after winning his second Ligue 1 title with PSG to join Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
In North America, the 36-year-old guided David Beckham’s club to their first-ever domestic silverware with the League Cup, where he topped the tournament with ten goals in seven games.
Lionel Messi’s individual awards
Messi is the most successful player in The Best FIFA Men’s Player history with eight titles won between 2009,2022 and 2023, ahead of arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo on five.
Six of Messi’s The Best FIFA Men wins came as a Barcelona player for the 2021 award in the months following his arrival at PSG. He is the first Football player to win the award while playing in MLS.
His magic in the final third has captivated the world for the past 15 years and as a result, he’s picked up numerous individual honours.
| Award | Titles | Year/Season |
|---|---|---|
| Ballon d’Or (World Player of the Year) |
7 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021.2023 |
| FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (Best player of the tournament) |
2 | 2014, 2022 |
| Argentina Player of the Year | 14 | 2005, 2007-2013, 2015-2017, 2019-2021 |
| La Liga Player of the Year | 6 | 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2014/15 |
| La Liga’s top scorer (Pichichi trophy) |
8 | 2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21 |
| European Golden Boot (Top scorer in Europe) |
6 | 2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 |
| FIFA World Player of the Year (Awarded from 1991-2015) |
1 | 2009, |
| FIFA The Best Award (Player of the Year est. 2015) |
2 | 2019, 2022.2023 |
| FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball | 2 | 2009, 2011 |
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