<\/p>\n
So, there we have it. Another awards ceremony is in the history books and Lionel Messi has once again come out on top.<\/strong><\/p>\n Having picked up a record eighth Ballon d\u2019Or in October, the Argentina legend added to his considerable individual trophy cabinet on Monday night as he was named the 2023 The Best FIFA Men\u2019s Player.<\/p>\n The Inter Miami forward swatted aside competition from Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to come out on top in the voting after most notably winning the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain before enjoying Leagues Cup success in the USA.<\/p>\n As \u2018Troll Football\u2019 put it so elegantly below, there\u2019s more than a small dose of scepticism from the wider football audience over whether the 36-year-old deserves the award for the qualifying period of 19 December 2022 and 20 August 2023 inclusive.<\/p>\n The year is 2048, 60 year old Messi has won the Fifa Best and Ballon d\u2019Or for the World Cup he won in 2022\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/q6FDLqx2TI<\/a>\u2014 Troll Football (@TrollFootball)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Then again, it is\u00a0literally<\/em>\u00a0an award decided by the votes of captains and coaches of international teams. That didn\u2019t stop fans with a more cynical eye asking why\u00a0Messi\u00a0scooped the award for the third time in his career ahead of PSG star Mbappe and Man City goal machine Haaland.<\/p>\n If Erling Haaland had won the World Cup with Norway in December 2022 while Messi won the treble, who would have won both the Ballon d\u2019Or and The Best Awards?\u2014 Usher Komugisha (@UsherKomugisha)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Alf Inge Haaland\u2019s reaction to\u00a0@MLS<\/a>\u00a0player Lionel Messi stealing another award off his son\u2026\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/uBHfpur0TY<\/a>\u2014 City Zone (@City_Zone_)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Lionel Messi named the FIFA men\u2019s player of the year for 2023.<\/p>\n Very strange decision \u2013 should have been Erling Haaland.\u2014 Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n mbapp\u00e9 becoming his clubs all time top scorer and entering the top 3 of france goalscorers at only 24, haaland breaking the pl goals record in one season and winning\u00a0#that<\/a>\u00a0competition and it was all for nothing like do you see how laughable it got\u2026\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/LjVKxtQ7bV<\/a>\u2014 \u0650 (@Iivsbuffy)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n There were plenty of awards handed out during the ceremony in London, with Pep Guardiola\u00a0winning the men\u2019s coach prize. After guiding Manchester City to the treble last season, the Catalan native dropped a rather large F-bomb when quizzed by Thierry Henry on whether his current side is better than the Barcelona class of 2009 \u2013 the other team he won a continental treble with.<\/p>\n Thierry Henry asked Pep Guardiola which of his treble teams was better: Barcelona or Man City?<\/p>\n Pep\u2019s response: \u201cF\u2014k\u201d \ud83d\ude05\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/CEDXGI4ugb<\/a>\u2014 B\/R Football (@brfootball)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Six Man City players were included in the\u00a0FIFA FIFPRO Men\u2019s World XI\u00a0after their trophy-laden 2022\/23 campaign, with three Real Madrid stars making the cut alongside Messi and Mbappe.<\/p>\n There was, however, no space for midfielder Rodri, scorer of the winner in the Champions League final against Inter.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should have been seven! It should have been\u2026seven.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n No Rodri in the FIFA FIFPRO World XI is an absolutely honking decision.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udd23\u2014 Amos Murphy (@AmosMurphy_)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Rodri is insanely disrespected.\u2014 Steven (@StevenMcinerney)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n We\u2019ve got every rival fanbase defending and propping Rodri\u2026. that\u2019s when you know it\u2019s bad \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\u2014 \u00b9\u2070 (@SxrgioSZN)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Women\u2019s favourite Aitana Bonmati\u00a0unsurprisingly added another individual trophy\u00a0to her cabinet. The Barcelona midfielder won the treble at club level and was paramount to Spain\u2019s success against the odds at the 2023 Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n The 25-year-old won the Ballon d\u2019Or Feminin back in October after taking the Golden Ball home from Australia and New Zealand. She was also named UEFA Women\u2019s Player of the Year and UEFA Women\u2019s Champions League Player of the Season for 2022\/23.<\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say she\u2019s the best women\u2019s footballer in the world right now.<\/p>\n #TheBest<\/a>\u00a0Women\u2019s Player of 2023 \u2013 of course it had to be Aitana Bonmati! \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/FURIM7LC1M<\/a>\u2014 90min (@90min_Football)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It was never in doubt!<\/p>\n Without question\u00a0#TheBest<\/a>\u00a0FIFA Women\u2019s Player\u2026 Aitana Bonmat\u00ed \ud83d\udc51\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/ltm39DYj5p<\/a>\u2014 Girls on the Ball (@GirlsontheBall)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Aitana Bonmat\u00ed is the first player to win the World Cup Golden Ball, the UEFA Women\u2019s Player of the Year, the Ballon d\u2019Or F\u00e9minin and The Best FIFA Women\u2019s Player of the Year.<\/p>\n And she did it all in the same year. \ud83c\udfc6#TheBest<\/a>\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/iiuIH3ZF2W<\/a>\u2014 Squawka (@Squawka)\u00a0January 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p><\/div>\n\n
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