In a remarkable achievement, Lionel Messi clinched the FIFA The Best Award for the second consecutive year during the ceremony held in the early morning of January 16, 2024. Messi managed to surpass two formidable rivals, Erling Haaland and Mbappe, in the race for the prestigious accolade.

Messi accumulated a total of 677 points from national team captains, while Haaland secured 577 points, and Mbappe trailed with 282 points. In terms of votes from coaches, Messi received 476 points, Haaland with 541 points, and Mbappe with the lowest at 302 points.

According to the publicly disclosed FIFA votes, Messi and Haaland had an equal average score. However, as per the regulations outlined in Article 12, in the event of a tie, the winner is determined by the number of votes from national team captains.

Despite Haaland’s high regard in the media with 729 points, doubling Messi’s 315 points, Messi demonstrated superiority in the fan votes. Messi garnered 613,293 points compared to Haaland’s 365,893 points.

Summing up the results, with an identical average score of 48, Messi triumphed over Haaland due to the “tie-breaker.” Meanwhile, Mbappe secured the third position with 35 points.

Unfortunately, the captain of the Argentina national team was absent from the award ceremony, and French football legend Thierry Henry accepted the honor on his behalf. FIFA also extended congratulations to Messi, stating, “Messi has achieved everything in his career with numerous major titles in national championships, international competitions, and individual awards, solidifying his status as a great player.

Messi was honored as the best male player of 2022 after leading Argentina to the World Cup championship in Qatar. He added another title in 2023 by once again winning Ligue 1 with PSG. The 36-year-old player concluded his two-year stint in Paris in July as the top scorer in five top European leagues before crossing the Atlantic to embark on a new chapter in his career with Inter Miami.”