London (AFP) – The Argentinian Lionel Messi was named best player of the year 2023 ahead of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé, a surprise choice announced Monday at the “Fifa The Best” ceremony, where the Spaniard Aitana Bonmati continued her raid of titles among the women.
4 mins
The 36-year-old Ballon d’Or obtained 48 points, tied with Haaland, who was favorite due to the avalanche of goals unleashed for Manchester City, with whom he achieved the Champions League-championship-Cup treble. England.
The 2022 world champion, despite a lackluster season with Paris Saint-Germain, won by virtue of a point in the regulations which gives more weight, in such a situation, to the vote of the captains national teams.
His ex-teammate at PSG, Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, ranks third with 35 points.
This result constitutes a big surprise considering the period concerned. This involved taking into account sporting performances achieved between December 19, 2022, the day after the World Cup final, and August 20, 2023.
However, over this period, Haaland has scored 28 times in 33 matches, with 7 out of 7 in the Champions League. The PSG of Messi and Mbappé slipped away in the round of 16 in the premier competition in Europe, a slide which could seem crippling.
City massively represented
The French striker overcame the double disappointment of the C1 and the World Cup final, where his hat-trick was not enough, to score 17 goals in the last 20 Ligue 1 matches, but these brilliance servants weigh less than a continental coronation.
The club influence of Messi, crowned for the third time after 2019 and 2022 and who was absent at the London ceremony, was much less great during this sequence.
Failing to see its No.9 crowned, Manchester City saw six of its players placed in the typical team of the year (Walker, Stones, Dias, Silva, De Bruyne and Haaland), but not Rodri, the scorer of the European final in Istanbul against Inter Milan.
Individually, his coach Pep Guardiola and his Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson won the prizes corresponding to their respective functions.
The vote was carried out by the coaches of the national teams, their captains, journalists and supporters who came to register on the Fifa website, each category representing 25% of the votes.
Hat-trick for Bonmati
For women, the Fifa prize remains in Spain even if the crowned head changes: Aitana Bonmati succeeds her compatriot Alexia Putellas, recipient of the two previous trophies.
The almost 26-year-old midfielder (she will celebrate them on Thursday) has amassed the three biggest individual awards in one year with the UEFA and FIFA prizes for best player while also being awarded the Ballon d’Or, a hat-trick that only her eldest had previously achieved in 2021.
“It was a unique year that I will remember for the rest of my life,” she commented from the Eventim Apollo in London where the ceremony was held. “I am proud to be part of this powerful generation of women who are changing football and changing the world,” she added, thanking “from the bottom of my heart” her partners, without whom she “would not be not here”.
The suspense was not very high considering the results and the talent displayed by Bonmati on the field.
The Catalan won the Champions League with FC Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain, being named best player in both competitions.
The shadow of her compatriot and world champion “Jenni” Hermoso, now exiled in the less competitive Mexican championship, was not very threatening, just like that of Linda Caicedo (18 years old), nugget of Colombia and Real Madrid , also named.
England, finalist of the World Cup, placed Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps and her coach, Dutchman Sarina Wiegman, among the winners in their respective categories. Both women retain a trophy won in 2022