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10 months ago
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Lionel Messi retains his title. Last night, the 36-year-old Argentinian won the FIFA-The Best trophy for best player of the year 2023. Absent in London, since he did not want to leave the Inter Miami pre-season camp, the 2022 world champion must surely have said to himself that he would not be crowned against Erling Haaland, who scored numerous goals in the Manchester City jersey in addition to having won a historic treble with his club. But it was no match for La Pulga. Both men received the same number of votes. To decide between them, FIFA therefore followed the regulations and relied on the votes of the captains who favored Messi.
A surprise victory that shocked many people. In Spain, if the Catalan press welcomed the victory of the FC Barcelona legend, the other media were stunned. On the set of the show El Chiringuitoone of the chroniclers confided that it is “the first unfair title that Messi received during his career”. Same observation for journalist Edu Aguirre. “It’s the biggest shame in the history of football. These rewards suck. It’s another tribute to Messi.” Finally, one of his acolytes declared: “I think Messi is not happy because he knows he doesn’t deserve it. It’s an injustice.” In the written press too we are offended by this new coronation.
The press doesn’t understand
‘Messi doesn’t deserve it’coldly titled Relevo before adding: “if FIFA were a respected body, which is not the case, and if the Best were appreciated and coveted awards, which is also not the case given the list of candidates, the absurdity lived in London would be an indelible stain on its history. But it was the confirmation of an error of principle, since decorating the individual in a collective game can only be considered an anomaly, and a discredit which provoked astonishment and indignation in almost equal proportions (…) For some time seconds that lasted several centuries, the television broadcast gestures that revealed the level of surrealism. Haaland’s father, a Norwegian with a military appearance and contrasting anger, raised his left eyebrow twice, which must be one of those tics that appears when he has difficulty controlling his anger.
The media adds: “the fact is that the Argentinian found himself with an invisible laurel on his head for having been champion of Ligue 1 and best passer in the French championship. Notable merits, no doubt, almost on par (note the irony, please) with the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup won by Haaland with his 42 goals. They are tied at 48 points and the weight of the captains’ vote has decided. Those who thought this award was recognition of Messi couldn’t be more wrong. Neither he nor the grandeur of his figure deserve this embarrassment which does neither the player nor FIFA itself any favors and points towards a voting system that is questionable to say the least. Marca is also stunned and one of the journalists writes that:“a minimum of intellectual honesty leads us to describe this price as a “surprise”.”
Haaland stolen?
The Iberian publication added: “The Best seriously torpedoes the credibility of FIFA, the big loser last night. An obvious lack of credibility because, in view of the titles of Leo and Haaland over the period from December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023. Which excluded the World Cup in Qatar from the equation.. same for me A.S. who titled: “Messi wins the most controversial The Best of all time!”. The media then clarified: “The Best 2023 gala was not without controversy, and one of the main reasons was Leo Messi winning the “Best FIFA Men’s Player 2023” award. The truth is that Erling Haaland, big favorite to win the prize after achieving the hat-trick with Manchester City, was tied with the Argentine star, but the FIFA tie-breaking criteria unbalanced the scales in favor of Leo Messi .”
In England, the country where Haaland plays, we were also very surprised. “Lionel Messi shocked many in London by beating Erling Haaland for the award”spear The Sun. The English tabloid also questioned fans who were shocked. “Haaland not winning a single award after winning it all must be one of the biggest steals in football history”, blurted out one of them. In Norway too the results do not pass. Dagbladet spoke about “scandal”. Even in Argentina, where we are happy for Lionel Messi, this coronation came as a surprise. Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, did not appear in the mixed zone in front of the media to comment on these very surprising results. A way of dodging after this ceremony of shame according to some.
