How Lionel Messi won The Best FIFA Men's Player 2023: Every captain & coach that voted for Inter Miami star | OneFootball

Lionel Messi added another individual honour to his haul as his peers voted him The Best FIFA Men's Player of 2023.

The Argentine beat out the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to his third The Best triumph.

Messi celebrated his eighth Ballon d'Or award in October off the back of his World Cup heroics in Qatar, and although his majestic campaign in the Gulf didn't contribute towards this gong, the all-time great was still able to top the voting charts.

Here's a list of all the international captains and managers who voted for Messi.

Every captain to vote for Lionel Messi for The Best FIFA Men's Player 2023

In total, 107 captains voted for Lionel Messi in first place for The Best FIFA Men's Player 2023. Despite exiting Europe in favour of Inter Miami in MLS, the voting shows that many of his peers still regard Messi as the best player in the world.

The Argentine did have an immediate impact in Miami, leading the Herons to Leagues Cup glory in the summer, but there's no doubt that his achievements during the qualifying period for this award pale in comparison to Haaland, in particular.

Nevertheless, there was a litany of superstars who voted for Messi in first place. They include Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Luka Modric, Robert Lewandowski, Virgil van Dijk, and finalist Mbappe - his former teammate in Paris.

Jan Oblak, Son Heung-min, Milan Skriniar, Federico Valverde, Andy Robertson, Granit Xhaka, and Hakan Calhanoglu are among the other notable international skippers who placed Messi at the top of their voting poll.

Every coach to vote for Lionel Messi for The Best FIFA Men's Player 2023

Haaland got more love from the coaches than Messi, but the Argentine nonetheless received over 75 first-place votes from the international managers.

There was plenty of CONMEBOL admiration for Messi, with outgoing Brazil coach Fernando Diniz among the South American managers to place the 36-year-old at the top of their ballot. Lionel Scaloni was unsurprisingly loyal to his compatriot, as was former Argentina boss Marcelo Bielsa.

England's Gareth Southgate opted for Haaland, but Messi still received plenty of Home Nations adoration. Wales' Rob Page, Scotland's Steve Clarke, and Northern Ireland's Martin O'Neill each voted for the Argentine.

There will undoubtedly be a couple of "I had no idea you were still in management!" reactions as you scroll through the list. Former La Liga Coach of the Year Hector Cuper is currently in charge of Syria, and he voted for compatriot Messi. Avram Grant is also still going strong with Zambia, and he backed the Inter Miami superstar in voting.

Messi will also be pleased to hear that he topped the voting ballot of Montserrat coach Lee Bowyer.

How many points did Lionel Messi finish above Erling Haaland & Kylian Mbappe?

In the end, nothing could separate Messi and Haaland as they both accumulated 48 points. The Norwegian hitman was massively aided by a landslide in the media votes, with Messi racking up more votes from players and fans.

However, Messi won the tie-breaker as he notched 120 more captains points than Haaland.

Mbappe, meanwhile, was comfortably third in every category, ending with 35 points. Kevin De Bruyne (32 points), Victor Osimhen (24), and Rodri (24) were the hottest on his tail.