At 36, Lionel Messi made history by winning The Best 2023 award, becoming the first player to win three of these awards. However, this takeover triggered a wave of criticism against him.
Some personalities of the beautiful sport are of the opinion that La Pulga does not deserve to win the FIFA award, as in the case of Lothar Matthäus, world champion with the German team.
“If you don't take into account the World Cup, which made Messi the Ballon d'Or winner, Messi shouldn't be the winner this time. “I think he was the best footballer of the last 20 years, but he didn't win an important title with Paris Saint Germain and Inter Miami, where he is now making a big splash,” explained the former German player.
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Matthäus also pointed out that Erling Haaland should have won “The Best” award for his performances with the citizens’ team in both English tournaments and European competitions.
“If we look at the great successes, there is nothing to envy Manchester City and Erling Haaland. He won the most important titles with Manchester City and his goalscoring rate was impressive. “That should be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing the best and most important player and that was Haaland,” Matthäus added.
It is worth remembering that Lionel Messi was tied with Haaland; However, the Argentine received more votes from the captains than the Norwegian.