Fans Upset as Lionel Messi Beats Erling Haaland to Win 2023 FIFA The Best Award

• Fans have expressed their discontent over Lionel Messi winning the 2023 FIFA the Best accolade
• The Argentine maestro beat off competition from Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe for the award
• The 36-year-old’s latest feat came only months after he won his eighth Ballon d’Or in Paris

Football enthusiasts turned to social media to voice their dissatisfaction with Lionel Messi securing the FIFA Best Men’s Player Award for 2023 ahead of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

The dismay stemmed from Messi and Haaland tying at 48 scoring points, with Mbappe securing 35. Despite the deadlock, the Inter Miami star prevailed over the Norwegian striker due to having more first-choice nominations from national team captains (13 to 11).

Adding to the controversy, the Argentina captain had previously triumphed over both Haaland and Mbappe to claim the 2023 Ballon d'Or.

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Haaland's exceptional 2023 performance, marked by 50 goals for club and country, including leading Manchester City to a historic treble victory in the UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, and Premier League, further fuelled the belief that he was the frontrunner for the FIFA Best award.

Many were taken aback when Messi emerged as the winner, deviating from the expectation that the award should solely consider achievements within the calendar year, per Sportskeeda.

Fabs slam Messi's FIFA award triumph

This surprising turn of events prompted an outpouring of reactions from fans on Twitter, who shared their sentiments on the social media platform.

@TeacherOfBall posted:

"Maturing is realising that whilst that's true, this is the biggest robbery of any sporting award in history."

@UTDDengv2 said:

"Bruh, Messi's the goat but he can't be winning awards in 2024 just because he won the World Cup in 2022."

@UTDTrey added:

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"Someone please tell me what Messi did in 2023??? Football is finished."

@Kryptonxn shared:

"If Messi wins FIFA the Best for doing absolutely nothing in 2023, that’s gonna open a lot of neutral fans’ eyes tbh."

@TimelineCR7 posted:

"We have witnessed the biggest robbery in the history of football. Messi wins the best award instead of Haaland."

How Messi fared in 2023

On Monday, January 15, at the Hammersmith Apollo Theatre in west London, Messi secured his eighth FIFA Best Men's Player award, a record unmatched by any other player who has received no more than five such honours, ESPN reported.

During 2023, the Argentine icon played a pivotal role in Paris Saint-Germain's conquest of the Ligue 1 title.

The 36-year-old joined Inter Miami as a free agent last summer and led the Herons to victory in the Leagues Cup, marking their inaugural trophy.

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The Barcelona legend contributed to their journey to the final of the 2023 US Open Cup.

Thierry Henry digs at Tottenham

In other news, Thierry Henry delivered a humorous jab at Tottenham Hotspur during the FIFPRO Awards.

As reported by Sports Brief, as Messi couldn't be present to receive his award, Henry jokingly volunteered to accept it on the Argentine's behalf and took a playful swipe at co-host Reshmin Chowdhury simultaneously.