Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was the favourite to win The Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award but lost out to Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi
Manchester City fans have shared their anger after Erling Haaland missed out on The Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award to Lionel Messi.
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and Haaland were tied after national team coaches, captains, ‘expert’ journalists and supporters voted for the award. On 48 points each, the tie was settled by the number of first-choice nominations each player had from captains.
By this measurement, Messi finished above Haaland by the narrowest of margins to win the award for a third time. The prize recognises a player’s achievements between December 19, 2022 and August 20, 2023.
During this period, Haaland was integral as Pep Guardiola’s side won the historic Treble. In the eight-month period, the Norwegian featured on 33 occasions and scored a whopping 28 goals in the process.
Supporters were quick to air their fury over the decision on Twitter. Here is a selection of the reaction.
As well as the team accolades of the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and UEFA Super Cup, Haaland also managed to pick up a host of personal awards too. He was named; Premier League Golden Boot, Premier League Player of the Season and Premier League Young Player of the Season.
One award which also controversially escaped Haaland last year was the Ballon d’Or. In October, Messi was voted the Ballon d’Or winner.
The Norwegian finished second in that contest too but made a pledge after winning the Gerd Muller Trophy which is awarded to the best striker. He said: “It’s a huge honour to receive the Gerd Muller Trophy.
“I couldn’t have scored the number of goals I did last season without all of my teammates and this award is another reminder of the incredible year we all enjoyed together. We work hard every day to win every game and every competition we play in, but to not only lift the first Champions League in this Club’s history but also the Premier League and FA Cup is something none of us could have imagined.
“I’m proud of what we achieved as a team last season, but our focus now is on trying to do it all again this year.”
Haaland may not be celebrating individually but it has been a good night overall for the Blues. The Norwegian was named alongside; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne were named in the Men’s Best XI.
Pep Guardiola was awarded the Best Men’s Coach of the Year while Ederson was voted the Best Goalkeeper of the Year.
Since its creation in 2016, only four different players have been named The Best FIFA Men’s Player. Cristiano Ronaldo (two occasions), Luka Modric, Messi (three occasions) and Robert Lewandowski (two occasions).
The Puma home shirt features the traditional sky blue colour but has slightly darker blue detailed stripes across the front which take inspiration from the Etihad Stadium’s walkways. City moved to their new home from Maine Road in 2003 and the shirt honours that anniversary.
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