The best: Messi is voted best in the world for the eighth time, in a ceremony ‘snubbed’ by the finalists

The Argentine from Inter Miami won the choices of captains and the public, while Erling Haaland was chosen by coaches and journalists; Thiery Henry, ceremonialist, “received” the award in the player’s absence

Lionel Messi has opted for a solitary 2023/2024 season. After becoming world champion in Qatar, the Argentine striker left Paris Saint-Germain and moved to Inter Miami in the United States. Despite this, and having only won the French championship and the League Cup last year, he was chosen by FIFA voters as the best player of the season. The result is surprising after Erling Haaland, triple champion with Manchester City, arrived as favorite for the dispute. Since 2016, when The Best was created, this is the first time that the winner of the best in the world is not present.

Without Messi, Thiery Henry, one of the ceremonialists, stepped forward to accept the award from Lionel Messi. During the ceremony you could see the surprised looks of the public at the victory of the Argentine striker. “I’ve never won the prize, that would suit me,” said the former French striker. An atmosphere of embarrassment characterized the event, in which only women presented the evening’s awards, in honor of the 2016 Women’s World Cup.

Messi finished level on points with Erling Haaland. The Argentine won the prize for being first in the voting. Mbappé finished in third place, as chosen by the voters. None of the three were present at the ceremony, held in London. According to the regulations, in the event of a tie in points between the finalists, the prize will be awarded to the player who is chosen first in the voting the most times. All of the evening’s awards were presented by women.

The electorate’s rating takes into account the results achieved by each athlete in the period between December 19, 2022 – one day after the World Cup final, which was not considered – and August 20, 2023. Twelve players were nominated for the award for a technical council, made up of former athletes; From this list, three finalists were chosen by a jury made up of four categories: coaches of the men’s national teams, captains of the men’s national teams, football journalists and fans who voted on the FIFA website.

Each voter formed their ideal top 3, with points distributed according to each position: five for first place, three for second and one for third. Each group had 25% weight in the final decision, regardless of the number of voters. The electorate’s rating takes into account the results obtained by each athlete in the period between December 19, 2022 – one day after the World Cup final, which was not considered – and August 20, 2023.

Erling Haaland was the favorite to win. In 2023, he broke the single-time Premier League goals record (36) and helped Manchester City to an unprecedented Champions League victory. Even without scoring in the decisive stages of the round of 16 (semi-finals and final), he reached the threshold of 35 goals and six assists, for Manchester City and the Norwegian team, in the period covered by the elections. An average of 81.36 minutes to participate in a goal during the year.

Guilherme Madruga joins Neymar and Wendell Lira at the Puskás Awards

“Today is a unique day in my life. It is marked in my history and in the memory of all those who follow my path,” says Guilherme Madruga. The Brazilian joins Neymar and Wendell Lira, the only Brazilians to win the Puskás Award, for the best goal of last season. Moved, the player recalled his beginnings in football in his speech, alongside Thiery Henry.

The Brazilian competed for the Puskás Award alongside Paraguayan Julio Enciso, of Brighton, and Portuguese Nuno Santos, of Sporting. The Brazilian’s cycling goal was recorded against Novorizontino in June 2023.

Vini Jr. and the Brazilian team are remembered in the fight against racism

Champion of the Spanish Super Cup this Sunday 14th in Saudi Arabia, Vinícius Júnior received a new award this Monday, in London, at The Best awards. The Brazilian was unable to be present, due to Saudi Arabia’s trip to Europe, but was remembered by FIFA as a reference for the Brazilian team in the fight against racism in 2023. He was represented by Roberto Carlos, Júlio César, Roque Júnior, Ronaldo, Beletti and Cafu, references from Brazil in recent decades.

“Racism is a matter of education. We educate people to live in a world of equality. We use football as a tool for society,” said Cafu, spokesman for the Brazilian team at the FIFA Awards. In 2023, in a friendly against Guinea, Brazil entered for the first time with the black shirt, in support of the fight against racism. The match took place in Spain, where Vini Jr. suffered racist attacks in a match against Valencia later that year.

Pep Guardiola named best manager for the first time; Manchester City dominates the national team

Dominant since 2009, again with Barcelona, ​​​​Pep Guardiola had never won the award for best coach in the world, since it was established in 2016. He had already come second three times in the elections, but without being awarded the prize. “I want to share this award with Inzaghi and Spaletti. This year their work at Napoli and Inter was impressive. I would also like to share this moment with the players and management of Manchester City. An idea that has grown and dominated the world. Thank you for trusting me,” the coach said

Thanks to the cast are reflected in the season selection. Six Manchester City athletes have been chosen, from 28 thousand professional players of the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro), to form the ideal team for 2023. John Stones, Rúben Dias and Kyle Walker in defence; Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, in midfield; and Erling Haaland in attack. Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior, as well as finalists Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi complete the squad.

With another surprising result, and even without being selected by FIFPro, Ederson was voted the best goalkeeper in the world. “I want to thank God for all the blessings in my life, in my family, in my team for the wonderful year we’ve had,” he said. He joins Vini Jr. as the only Brazilians to win an award on the night in London.

Surprise in women’s football

World Cup runner-up Sarina Wiegman of the England team won her fourth World Coach title at The Best. The Dutchman’s choice was surprising, especially given the defeat of Jonatan Giraldez, a multiple champion with Barcelona, ​​in the prize.

The Women’s World Cup was included in the evaluation criteria, which ended with the Spanish team winning the title. Even so, only two champion names made it into the FIFPro team of the season: Olga Carmona and Aitana Bonmati. Jennifer Hermoso and Linda Caicedo, finalists for the award as best player in the world, were not chosen by the organization’s 28,000 athletes.

With seven representatives, England dominated the season’s selection. Maria Ears; Olga Carmona, Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood; Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo, Lauren James, Ella Toone and Aitana Bonmati; Alex Morgan and Sam Kerr. Earps was also named the season’s best goaltender.

Article updated

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.