Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi unexpectedly won his third career FIFA The Best award. According to the voting results, the Argentine received 48 points, the same number as Manchester City forward Erling Holland.
Lionel Messi, Getty ImagesDespite the equal number of points, Leo was named the best footballer of 2023 thanks to the votes of the men's national team captains. The relevant provision is spelled out in Article 12 of the rules for the distribution of points in the Best nomination, which began in 2017.
The captains of the national teams that occupy the highest places in the FIFA rankings, such as Harry Kane (England), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy), Luka Modric (Croatia), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Fede Valverde (Uruguay) and Kylian Mbappe (France), voted for Messi. On the other hand, Ilkay Gundogan (Germany) and Casemiro (Brazil) voted for Holland.
Thus, the captain of the Argentine national team received The Best award for the second year in a row.
