X reacts as Lionel Messi claims 2023 The Best FIFA Men’s Player award

So, there we have it. Another awards ceremony is in the history books and Lionel Messi has once again come out on top.

Having picked up a record eighth Ballon d’Or 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’s Player.

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.

As ‘Troll Football’ put it so elegantly below, there’s 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.

Then again, it is literally an award decided by the votes of captains and coaches of international teams. That didn’t stop fans with a more cynical eye asking why Messi scooped the award for the third time in his career ahead of PSG star Mbappe and Man City goal machine Haaland.

There were plenty of awards handed out during the ceremony in London, with Pep Guardiola winning the men’s 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 – the other team he won a continental treble with.

Six Man City players were included in the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World XI after their trophy-laden 2022/23 campaign, with three Real Madrid stars making the cut alongside Messi and Mbappe.

There was, however, no space for midfielder Rodri, scorer of the winner in the Champions League final against Inter.

“It should have been seven! It should have been…seven.”

Women’s favourite Aitana Bonmati unsurprisingly added another individual trophy to her cabinet. The Barcelona midfielder won the treble at club level and was paramount to Spain’s success against the odds at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The 25-year-old won the Ballon d’Or Feminin back in October after taking the Golden Ball home from Australia and New Zealand. She was also named UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and UEFA Women’s Champions League Player of the Season for 2022/23.

It’s safe to say she’s the best women’s footballer in the world right now.

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