Messi, Guardiola, others cart home laurels at Best FIFA Football Awards
Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola took centre stage at the prestigious 2023 Best FIFA Football Awards held in London on Monday. The Argentine maestro secured the accolade for Best Male Player of the Year, marking an unparalleled 17-year presence among the world’s premier footballers.
Despite the twilight of his illustrious career, Messi eclipsed City’s Erling Haaland, with PSG’s Kylian Mbappe securing the third position.
Manchester City’s coach, Pep Guardiola, claimed the title of Best Male Coach of the Year. City’s Ederson further added to the club’s triumphs by clinching the Goalkeeper Award, surpassing Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Al Hilal’s Yassine Bounou. Notably, Manchester City achieved a remarkable Treble by conquering the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup during the 2022-23 season.
At 36, Messi commenced the year with Paris St-Germain before joining Inter Miami in June. His exceptional performance earned him the Best Men’s Player award for the third time, contributing nine goals to PSG’s French Ligue 1 triumph and an additional 10 goals for Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup.
Meanwhile, Haaland set a record with 36 Premier League goals, totalling 52 goals across competitions in the 2022-23 season. Mbappe, also with PSG, secured his fifth consecutive Golden Boot with 18 goals.
The award recipients were determined through a comprehensive voting process involving national team managers, captains, journalists, and fans on FIFA’s website. Messi’s victory over Haaland was attributed to a greater number of first-place nominations.
In a similar vein, England’s manager, Sarina Wiegman, secured her fourth Coach of the Year award at the FIFA Best Awards. Mary Earps claimed the Best Goalkeeper title for the second consecutive year. Aitana Bonmati, the Spanish and Barcelona midfielder, received the Women’s Player of the Year, adding to her Women’s Ballon d’Or and UEFA Women’s Player of the Year honors.
Bonmati’s achievements include leading Barcelona to a treble-winning season and guiding Spain to victory in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Wiegman expressed surprise at the win, emphasizing the team’s dedication to improvement and sustained success.
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