Lionel Messi took his talents to Miami and the awards followed.
Messi was named FIFA Men’s Player of the Year after moving from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami and leading David Beckham’s side to a little-known League Cup title — all while single-handedly elevating soccer’s importance in the United States.
The 36-year-old Argentina star was on Monday selected over Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland – the same pair who won their eighth Ballon d’Or last October.
Messi was not present at the Hammersmith Apollo theater in west London.
Moments later, World Cup champion Aitana Bonmatí made a clean sweep of prizes. The 25-year-old Spanish playmaker was named FIFA’s best women’s footballer, building on her Ballon d’Or win last October, which followed the UEFA award in August.
And this was after leading Spain to World Cup glory and Barcelona to the Champions League title. She was named player of the tournament for both events.
Telemundo’s Ariana Figuera spoke to excited fans at Stadium Australia on Sunday after Spain won its first Women’s World Cup.
Bonamati beat Spain teammate Jenny Hermozo and Colombia star Linda Caicedo on Monday.
He was a FIFA finalist in voting by a global panel of national team coaches and captains, selected journalists, as well as online fans. The women’s eligibility period covered performances from 1 August 2022 until the World Cup final last August.
Spain’s women won their first World Cup by beating England 1-0 in the final in Sydney, Australia.
Messi secured the FIFA award for the eighth time in 15 years. He had won it last year as well, after leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title.
The men’s award did not take into account the World Cup, which ended 13 months ago. Recognize achievements after the tournament until August 20th.
Messi and Mbappe helped PSG win the French league title, but the team underperformed in the Champions League and Coupe de France – exiting both competitions at the round of 16.
This means that Messi’s exploits in the United States certainly influenced some voters.
By spurning Saudi Arabia for MLS, Messi brought stardom to a league struggling for relevance in an American sports landscape dominated by the NFL and NBA.
LeBron James, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian were all on hand in Fort Lauderdale for Messi’s debut on July 21, when the forward scored a free kick in stoppage time to beat Cruz Azul 2-1.
The goals kept coming — 10 in seven games to lead the MLS club to its first trophy by winning the League Cup final on August 19, one day before the end of the FIFA awards eligibility period.
Haaland and Mbappe could make good arguments that they deserved to win.
Haaland scored 28 goals in 36 games in all club competitions from after the World Cup to the end of the 2022-23 season as a driving force at Manchester City, winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. The 6-foot-4 forward then scored three goals in two appearances for Norway in June.
Mbappe scored at almost a goal-per-game clip in qualifying for PSG and then for France in European Championship qualifiers in March and June.
Messi’s figures in France after the World Cup were good but not spectacular: nine goals and six assists in 22 games in all competitions.