Former France participant Thierry Henry accepts on behalf of Argentina’s Lionel Messi the Best Men’s Player award through the FIFA Football Awards 2023 on the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London, on January 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
Lionel Messi landed one other prestigious award in soccer — barely. The Argentina star wanted a tiebreaker with Erling Haaland to win FIFA’s finest males’s participant prize on Monday. He has nationwide workforce captains to thank.
The voting breakdown confirmed Messi and Haaland with 48 factors every after voting by a world panel of nationwide workforce coaches and captains, chosen journalists, plus followers on-line. The tiebreaker was whoever had extra first-place or “5-point” scores from the votes of nationwide workforce captains. That class was 107 to 64 for the Inter Miami ahead.
Neither participant confirmed up on the awards ceremony at Hammersmith Apollo theater in west London. Kylian Mbappé, the third finalist, skipped it too.
Messi had moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami and led the David Beckham-owned workforce to a little-known Leagues Cup title — all whereas single-handedly elevating soccer’s relevance within the United States.
The 36-year-old Argentina star additionally topped Haaland and Mbappé for his eighth Ballon d’Or award final October.
Bonmati cleans up
World Cup champion Aitana Bonmatí confirmed up — and cleaned up. The 25-year-old Spain playmaker was named FIFA’s finest ladies’s soccer participant, constructing on her Ballon d’Or award final October, which adopted a UEFA award in August.
Barcelona’s and Spain’s Aitana Bonmati accepts the Best Women’s Player award through the FIFA Football Awards 2023 on the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London, on January 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AP
And that was after she led Spain to World Cup glory and Barcelona to the Champions League title. She was named participant of the match for each competitions.
Bonmatí received Monday over Spain teammate Jenni Hermoso and Colombia star Linda Caicedo.
“It’s been an exceptional and unique year that I’ll remember all my life,” Bonmatí mentioned in translated feedback. “I owe this to the teams that I’ve played with. Without all of you, I wouldn’t be here.”
“The Best” awards signify FIFA’s model of the older and extra prestigious Ballon d’Or prize.
The ladies’s eligibility interval lined performances from Aug. 1, 2022 by the World Cup ultimate final August. Spain’s ladies received their first World Cup by beating England 1-0 within the ultimate in Sydney, Australia.
Guardiola wins coach’s award
Manchester City supervisor Pep Guardiola was named finest males’s coach, and England coach Sarina Wiegman took the ladies’s prize. Guardiola led City to a treble of titles: Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
Messi secured the FIFA award for the eighth time in 15 years. He had received it final 12 months, too, after main Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title.
Haaland loses out
Fans voted overwhelmingly for Messi, and journalists favoured Haaland. The Man City striker had a slight edge within the votes from nationwide workforce coaches. The nationwide workforce captains leaned Messi.
The males’s award didn’t take into account the World Cup, which ended 13 months in the past. It recognised achievements from after the match by August 20.
Messi and Mbappé helped PSG win the French league title, however the workforce underperformed within the Champions League and French Cup — exiting each competitions within the spherical of 16. That means Messi’s exploits within the United States absolutely swayed some voters.
In rejecting Saudi Arabia for the MLS, Messi introduced star energy to a league that fights for relevance in an American sports activities panorama dominated by the NFL and NBA.
LeBron James, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian have been all available in Fort Lauderdale for Messi’s debut on July 21, when the ahead scored from a free kick purpose in stoppage time to beat Cruz Azul 2-1.
The targets stored coming — 10 in seven video games to guide the MLS membership to its first-ever trophy by profitable the Leagues Cup ultimate on Aug. 19, sooner or later earlier than FIFA award eligibility interval ended.
Haaland and Mbappé might make good arguments that they deserved to win. Haaland scored 28 targets in 36 video games in all membership competitions from after the World Cup by the top of the 2022-23 season as a driving drive in Manchester City profitable the treble. The 6-foot-4 striker then scored three targets in two appearances for Norway in June.
Mbappe scored at almost a goal-per-game clip within the interval of eligibility for PSG after which for France in European Championship qualifying in March and June.
Messi’s figures in France after the World Cup have been good however unspectacular: 9 targets and 6 assists in 22 video games throughout all competitions.
The finest goalkeeper awards went to Ederson of Brazil and Manchester City, and Mary Earps of England and Manchester United.
Source web site: www.thehindu.com
