Argentine Lionel Messi retained the FIFA men’s player of the year trophy on Monday, beating Manchester City’s treble-winning Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and France’s Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe to the award.

Spain’s 2023 World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati was voted the best women’s player of the year.

Messi, who also secured the men’s award in 2022 after guiding Argentina to World Cup victory, clinched the Ligue 1 title with PSG alongside Mbappe following that success, before moving to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.

The 36-year-old, voted the best player by national teams coaches, captains, journalists and fans, helped Inter Miami win the 2023 Leagues Cup — a competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX sides — scoring 10 goals.

Messi was not present to collect the trophy.

The award period for the men’s prize ran from Dec. 19, 2022 to Aug. 20, 2023, and started the day after the World Cup final in Qatar.

Haaland, who helped City clinch a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles by scoring 52 goals in 53 matches across all competitions in the 2022-23 season, finished second in the voting.

The 23-year-old had the same points as Messi but lost out by having fewer first-place votes from national team captains.

City’s Pep Guardiola won the Best Men’s Coach award. The Spaniard, who before winning the treble with City last term had achieved the same feat at Barcelona in 2008-09, dedicated his award to fellow nominees Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti.

Inzaghi guided Inter Milan to the 2023 Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to City, while Spalletti won Serie A with Napoli to end the club’s 33-year wait for the title.

Sarina Wiegman claimed the Best Women’s coach prize after leading England to the World Cup final where they lost 1-0 to Spain.

Seven of her Lionesses were included in the Women’s World XI, including Mary Earps, who also took the Best Women’s Goalkeeper Award.

Brazil’s Manchester City keeper Ederson won the men’s award.

-Reuters

As the Africa’s premier sports event, the Africa Cup of Nations gets into its third matchday in Cote d’Ivoire, the City of London will be hosting the 2023 FIFA best Awards.

The prizes will be for best men’s player and best women’s player from last season. It is the equivalent of France Football’s Ballon d’Or. Last year,

Argentina’s mercurial footballer, Lionel Messi was the main winner as he was the hero of Argentina’s World Cup win in the previous year. Again, he is among the top three tonight, contesting with his former club mate at PSG, Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City in-form striker, Erling Haaland.

Barcelona and Spain star Alexia Putellas won best women’s player. But it is Spain’s Women’s World Cup winner, Aitana Bonmati who is highly favoured to win the  women’s prize.

It will be all Spanish stars on the podium as the two other shortlists are Barcelona’s Jenni Hermoso and  Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo.

The period in which achievements are considered for the men’s awards is from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023 – so excluding the 2022 World Cup – while for women’s awards it is the period from from 1 August 2022 to 20 August 2023.

Other awards to be handed out at the London ceremony will be, best men’s and women’s goalkeeper, best men’s and women’s coach, the Puskas Award for best goal, the Fifa fair play award, and the Fifa fan award.