Did Leo Messi deserve to win The Best award?

FIFA awarded The Best award to Lionel Messi for the third time in his career (2019, 2022). The Argentine star could not attend the award ceremony, held in London, United Kingdom. His former FC Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry accepted the honor on his behalf.

With this “hat-trick,” Messi becomes now has the third most The Best awards, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, who both have two. On this occasion, Messi was tied at 48 votes with Erling Haaland, but the balance tipped in favor of the Argentine, since the tiebreaker is whoever received the most nominations, and Messi had more nominations than the Norwegian striker.

Did he deserve to win The Best award?

Now, unlike on the other two occasions, this new designation of Messi as The Best is the subject of controversy. In 2023, the Argentine played for two different teams, for Paris Saint-Germain and for Inter Miami. Voz Media analyzed his first season in Major League Soccer (MLS). In this year, Messi’s performance was far from his typical level of play throughout his career. In total, he played 55 games, scoring 32 goals and recording 25 assists. These numbers would be magnificent for any player, but Messi is simply on a different level.

It is worth clarifying that the voters were comprised of coaches and captains of national teams. They were the ones who designated Messi as The Best; it was not done by any member of FIFA. There is no doubt that Messi is one of the best players in history, for many the best, but his numbers this year do not correspond to that reality.

Two titles and two different teams

One also must consider what Messi won this year with his two teams. In France, he won his second Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain, though this French side has been practically unmatched in league play since Qatar acquired a majority stake in the club in 2011 and invested huge amounts of money to bring in the best players in the world such as Neymar, Kylian Mbappé or Messi himself. In Europe, PSG failed once again in the UEFA Champions League, falling in the round of 16.

In the United States, Messi also fell a bit short of expectations. Former British star David Beckham, now co-owner of Inter Miami, decided to boost his franchise by signing legends such as Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, with the aim of turning the team into one of the top MLS teams in the coming seasons. In this first campaign, having the most likely best squad in the North American league, they did not even reach the playoffs. In fact, they were second to last in the standings. Yes, it is true that Messi won the Leagues Cup, a minor tournament, but nothing more. In 14 official matches played, he recorded 11 goals and 5 assists.

2022 World Cup not considered for this award

In December 2022, the Argentine star managed to fulfill a dream: lifting the World Cup trophy for Argentina after defeating France in the penalty shootout in one of the best tournament finals in history. His contribution on the field of play, scoring seven goals and dishing out three assists throughout the tournament, also helped him win the World Cup Ballon d'Or, an award given to the best player in soccer.

The victory in the World Cup was enough for Messi to be named The Best in 2022 but was not considered for the 2023 edition, since the voters only account for individual and collective successes achieved between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023.

Erling Haaland should have won The Best

With more goals (36) than games played in the Premier League (35) and almost the same goals (52) as games played (53) in all competitions, Haaland was truly worthy of being named The Best. This season, he has continued on the same path. So far, he has scored 19 goals in 22 games. Despite turning 23 in July and playing in his first season at Manchester City, Erling Haaland proved to be among the best footballers in the world, perhaps the best. His individual balance was spectacular, with no one surpassing his numbers.

He was one of the primary reasons why Manchester City was the best team in the world last season. For the first time in its history, the English team won the UEFA Champions League, with Haaland as one of the most prominent names, scoring 12 goals in 11 games in the competition. It was not the only title he won in his first campaign wearing a Manchester City shirt. He added the Premier League and the FA Cup to his record.

These arguments, both individual and collective, should have been powerful enough for there to have been a greater number of coaches and captains who chose the rising Norwegian star over the aging Messi to be designated as The Best.