The Best Prizes: why Lionel Messi, this time, is making a comeback against the candidates Haaland and Mbappé

Lionel Messi will be the The best eternal. Their stay among the elite of world football for so many years will remain in the history and statistics books, at least as long as they seem – as they currently do – impossible to beat. In addition to this, and who is in the trio of finalists, this Monday at the ceremony to be held in London (from 5pm, Argentine time), the Argentine world champion runs behind: it is the Norwegian Erling Haaland the candidate to win the award given by FIFA as Best Player of the Year 2023, even surpassing the Frenchman Kylian Mbappe.

Both are the ones destined to collect the legacy of the dispute that, for a long time, Messi (who won this award in 2019 and 2022) and Cristiano Ronaldowho wasn’t even among the 10 finalists, where the Cordobese repeated his presence Giuliano Alvarez. In case of success and victory, Rosario Flea will become the biggest winner, as he would break the tie with the Portuguese Ronaldo (2016 and 2017) and the Polish Roberto Lewandowski (2020 and 2021).

The clarification to begin to understand the because La Pulga – who won his eighth Ballon d’Or last October – is not a candidate resides in the period of time necessary to define the candidates for this award: from From 19 December 2022 to 30 August 2023. Once FIFA’s expert jury has selected the finalists in each category, the international jury made up of national team captains, coaches, journalists and fans from around the world delivers its verdict.

In that section, then, Haaland, 25, scored 34 goals and was champion of the Champions League and the European Super Cup, as well as the Premier League and the FA Cup, being top scorer in two of them, and chosen as the best player of the year in England and at continental level. Hard to miss, right?

The paths of Mbappé (27 goals) e Messi (24 goals in 32 games) reunited in the first half of 2023. There they shared the team at Paris Saint Germain, where they won a new Ligue 1 title for the French club.

At the time of his appointment, FIFA highlighted Messi, who in that period also recorded the start of his era at Inter Miami and the League Cup title that became the all-time top scorer in the five major European leagues and who was also part of the ideal team for the 2022/23 season in the French league.

For the same temporal reason it is understood that the goalkeeper is not Emiliano Dibu Martinez (which he won in 2022 and will give the title to the Brazilian Ederson -Manchester City-, the Moroccan Yassine Bounou -Al Hilal- or the Belgian Thibaut Courtois -Real Madrid- and the coach Lionel Scaloni who will give way to the Spaniard “Pep” Guardiola -Manchester City-, the Italian Luciano Spalletti -for the championship with Napoli- and the Italian Simone Inzaghi -Inter-.

For the Mar del Plata goalkeeper, the second half of the Premier League season in the Aston Villa goal was not as extraordinary as everything he did the previous year, including the saves in Qatar, which will go down in history. As for the Albiceleste coach, up until that date the Argentine national team had only played a handful of friendlies, so they did not enter the South American qualifiers, where they finished as leaders and beat Brazil away at Maracana. stadium.

This year there are fewer doubts in the women’s prize with the Spanish Aitana Bonmatí25 years old, winner of the last Ballon d’Or, undisputed favorite against her compatriot Jenni Hermosoalso winner of the 2023 World Cup, and of the Colombian Linda Caicedo18 years old and star of his national team, eliminated in the quarterfinals against England.

The other Argentine who will be present at the ceremony

In the last edition, Argentina monopolized the prizes linked to the title at the World Cup in Qatar. In fact, he had also kept the statuette ‘Fan of the Year’which was received by Carlos Pascual, the famous “Tula”, who traveled with his iconic bass drum to London.

In 2023 there is also an Argentine candidate for that award. Regard Hugo Daniel “Totò” Íñigueza fan of Columbus of Santa Fewent viral last May when he was immortalized by the official broadcast of the Professional League, while he gave the bottle to his son Tiziano in the stands.

“The touching scene reflected the fan’s desire to reawaken his son’s passion for the club since he was little”FIFA highlighted when it revealed the shortlist in September last year.

Colón published a video on his official channels last week of “Totò” trying on a dress to attend the London gala. “Through its Public Relations area, the club will accompany Toto Iñiguez and his family on the path to the FIFA The Best awards”he detailed.

The Colón fan competes with the English fan Fran Hurndall, who walked 32 kilometers for 32 days, with the ball attached to her foot, from the Gold Coast to Sydney, Australia, to inspire girls and women to achieve their goals; AND Miguel Angela Colombian fan of Millionaires of Bogotawho was suffering from a terminal illness and, before receiving euthanasia, fulfilled his wish to meet the team’s players.

All the candidates for The Best 2023

–The best best player in FIFA: Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé.

–The best best player in FIFA: Aitana Bonmatí, Linda Caicedo and Jennifer Hermoso.

–The best best goalkeeper in FIFA: Yassine “Bono” Bounou, Thibaut Courtois and Ederson.

–The best best goalkeeper in FIFA: Mackenzie Arnold, Catherine Coll and Mary Earps.

–FIFA’s best men’s club manager: Josep “Pep” Guardiola, Luciano Spalletti and Simone Inzaghi.

–FIFA’s best women’s club manager: Jonatan Giráldez, Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman.

–FIFA Puskás Award: Julio Enciso, Guilherme Madruga and Nuno Santos.