Credit: X
Argentina football icon Lionel Messi has been named among the top three Best FIFA Men’s Player Award 2023 finalists along with Norwegian Erling Haaland and French football star Kylian Mbappe. The award recognises outstanding performance in men’s football from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023. The winner of the title will be announced at a ceremony in London on January 15, 2024. Initially, a total of 12 players were nominated for the accolade by a panel of experts.
ALSO READ: Aitana Bonmati named among three The Best FIFA Women's Player finalists
The names were cut short to three by an international jury, which comprised of men’s national team coaches, men’s national team captains, football journalists, and fans who voted on FIFA’s official website. Messi, who was named The Best Men's Player in 2022, led his side to the ultimate glory in Qatar and helped PSG to win the Ligue 1 title. Messi has now over 100 goals for his country and is the all-time top scorer in the top five European leagues.
Talking of Haaland, who is also known as Manchester City's goal machine helped his side secure their first treble by lifting the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup trophies. In 33 games for his team during the qualifying period, the 23-year-old scored 28 goals. The Leeds-born has claimed several prestigious titles, including the European Golden Shoe, and the English Premier League Golden Boot, and was named the English Premier League Player and Young Player of the Season.
French international Kylian Mbappe scored 17 goals for his side in the final 20 league games. The 2022 World Cup finalist was also named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year and took the honour of Ligue 1 top scorer. The 24-year-old is now just four goals behind all-time leading FIFA World Cup scorer Miroslav Klose.
