On December 15th, FIFA announced the final three contenders for the coveted FIFA The Best Player of the Year award in 2023. These talented players are none other than Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Erling Haaland.
As soon as the list was released, fans on social media erupted in debate, questioning whether Lionel Messi deserved to be included in the top three nominees.
A fan wrote:
“In 2022, Messi will win this award and the voting period includes the entire World Cup, so it makes sense that he would win instead of Benzema. Okay, that’s reasonable. So that means in 2023, the World Cup won’t be considered anymore. Then this list is really strange because even Rodri, who deserves this award the most, isn’t even present. I wonder who is doing the voting.”
It is known that the FIFA The Best Award will honor outstanding aspects of global football from December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023. Meanwhile, the World Cup 2022 ended on December 18 and should not be considered in the voting process.
Excluding the World Cup 2022, Messi has won a total of 2 titles in the past year. These are Ligue 1 with PSG and the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami.
During the voting process, each voter will select their first, second, and third choices for the award from a list of 12 players. Points are awarded to nominees based on their position (five points for first place, three points for second place, and one point for third place).
The team captain of the national team is not allowed to vote for themselves in their appointment. They will be selected from four voting groups, consisting of coaches, team captains, journalists, and fans – each group holds 25% of the total votes, regardless of the number of voters in each group.
The FIFA Best Men’s Player Award will be given to the individual with the highest number of points. If those in the final round have the same number of points, then the award will go to the player who received the most first-place votes.
