The top 12 for the Best FIFA Men’s Footballer for 2023 revealed | OneFootball

It’s final. The Best FIFA Men’s Player of 2023 has been confirmed, and it was none other than Lionel Messi basking in glory at the ceremony thanks to his pronounced year in the sport. Not only that, but the achievements of women and managers in football were also celebrated with an array of different awards.

Football has been dominated by Manchester City throughout the calendar year, but that didn’t stop the World Cup winner from adding to his trophy collection and becoming the man with the most Best FIFA Men’s Player gongs on his mantelpiece, exceeding both Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have two apiece.

Interestingly, both Messi and Manchester City marksman Erling Haaland finished the night joint level on 48 points. The ex-Barcelona star, however, came out on top as the majority of men's national team captains had him in first place, which meant he accrued more 'five-point scores' than the 23-year-old centre forward.

A breakdown of the top 12

The finest of margins separated the top two

Inarguably one of – if not the – greatest players of all time, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner took the glory home, perhaps by surprise. Messi didn’t head into the show being named the favourite but still managed to add to his trophy-laced cabinet by the end of it.

Haaland was at the heart of Manchester City’s season of dominance, all while breaking a profound number of records in the process. The Norwegian took the art of goalscoring to another level and silenced any critics who had doubts over his switch to the Premier League, leading him to a second-placed finish.

Kylian Mbappé and Kevin De Bruyne sharply followed in third and fourth place, respectively, while Nigerian talisman Victor Osimhen, thanks to his free-scoring exploits for Napoli, rounded off the top five. Joint on scoring points with Osimhen is the glue to Pep Guardiola’s brilliance, Rodri. While the likes of Haaland and De Bruyne receive ample credit for their efforts in the final third, the Spaniard goes about his defensive duties quietly – and it’s refreshing to see him on this list.

Manchester City duo Julian Alvarez and Bernardo finished seventh and eighth, respectively, while Ilkay Gundogan, who left the blue side of Manchester for Barcelona in the summer, is just behind them in the overall rankings.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finished in 10th spot, while the ever-reliable Marcelo Brozovic, surprisingly, found himself standing in front of some of the sport’s greatest in 11th. Capping off the top 12 is Declan Rice, who has played for both West Ham United and Arsenal in 2023. For the former, the Englishman was instrumental in their Europa Conference League win and has continued his midfield brilliance for the latter in 2023/24. He received one first-placed vote from Montserrat captain Lyle Taylor, ensuring that he scored one point on the night.

Inside Messi’s top three votes

Haaland was the forward’s number one choice

But who did the winner vote for? Given the fact that players are unable to vote for themselves, the Argentine opted for his biggest competition, Haaland, to slot in as his first choice, while Mbappé, who Messi played with at Paris Saint-Germain, was his second choice.

With a plethora of names to choose from for his third – and final – spot, Messi looked at his Argentina teammates for inspiration and landed on Alvarez, a player that enjoyed a trophy-ladened 2023 with his club as the 23-year-old won the Champions League, the Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Supercup.

Cristiano Ronaldo didn't vote

Pepe voted for Portugal instead

Despite carrying the captaincy duties for the Portugal national team, Ronaldo abstained from voting and, instead, it was on the shoulders of former Real Madrid teammate Pepe to vote on the Al-Nassr gem’s behalf. Interesting, the central defender did not include his compatriot’s arch-rival, Messi, in the voting and instead opted for Silva, Haaland and Osimhen – in that order.

Ronaldo has been crowned The Best FIFA Men’s Player on two separate occasions – in 2011 and 2015 – and has won the second-most individual awards in the history of football. But it seems that nine years following his last win, the Portuguese didn’t have time to cast his votes.

The former Manchester United star has dropped a motivational remark on Instagram, however, highlighting that he is hungry and willing to regain his status as the best in the world in the coming year. His post was captioned: “Back for more!”.

Roberto Martinez’s votes were a shock

Portugal boss put Messi third

While the Portugal captain refused to vote, their manager – Roberto Martinez – did, though his choices came as a bit of a shock to the system. Messi did manage to make it onto his list, albeit in third place, all while Mbappé usurped his former teammate to earn second spot in Martinez’s selections. Haaland failed to make his top three at all. The Spanish tactician believed that Brozovic – thanks to winning the Italian Cup and Italian Supercup – was the best player of 2023.

The Croatian midfielder was also integral to Inter Milan’s run to the Champions League final in 2022/23, and also helped his country advance to the Nations League final, where they lost to Spain. But whether his achievements across the year warrant him to be above the aforementioned duo is a discussion for another day.