London, Jan 16 (EFE).- Lionel Messi and Aitana Bonmati were crowned the best players in the world at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 on Monday, in a gala of notable male player absences.
Spanish player Aitana Bonmati makes a speech after winning the Best FIFA Women’s Player award at the Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 in London, Britain, 15 January 2024. EFE/EPA/NEIL HALL
None of the three short-listed male players – Kylian Mbappe, Messi and Erling Haaland – were at the Apollo in London.
The three male candidates for the most important award of the night left aside a gala with a larger presence of women’s football, and FIFA decided that all the awards would be presented by women.
The Best confirmed Aitana’s superiority in a brutal season in which she won everything in which she had participated.
After triumphing in the Spanish League, the Champions League, and the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona and being chosen as the best player in all these tournaments, she also won the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with Spain before adding the first Ballon d’Or of her career in Paris in October.
Aitana, who beat Jennifer Hermoso and Linda Caicedo, is the first person in history to win best player in all the tournaments she has played.
“A couple of weeks ago, when 2023 came to end, I was nostalgic because it was an exceptional and unique year that I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Aitana in her speech.
“Starting out 2024 by collecting this award is incredible. But as I’ve said before, I owe it to the teams I played in: Barça, the national team. I owe it to the seasons we had.
“I’m proud of being part of a powerful generation of women who are changing the rules of the game and the world,” she said.
The Barcelona footballer was also present in the FIFA 11, along with Olga Carmona of Real Madrid, being the only two Spaniards in this award.
The 11 were made up of Mary Earps in goal, Carmona, Lucy Bronze, and Alex Greenwood in defense, Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo, and Lauren James in midfield, and Aitana, Ella Toone, Alex Morgan, and Sam Kerr in the attack.
Neither Hermoso nor Caicedo, despite being nominated for the best player award, entered the 11.
The men’s best 11 was made up of Thibaut Courtois in goal, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, and John Stones in defense, Bernardo Silva, Jude Bellingham, and Kevin de Bruyne in the midfield, and Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Leo Messi, and Vinicius Junior in the attack.
Although Courtois entered as the best of the 11, Ederson Moraes was chosen as the best goalkeeper of the season.
Rodrigo Hernandez, the scorer of the goal that made City champions of Europe and was indisputably the best holding midfielder in the world last season, was also absent.
Messi won the award, even though the voting format did not favor him.
Unlike the Ballon d’Or that he won in October, the eighth of his career, the period taken into account for The Best dated from Dec. 20, 2022, to Aug. 20, 2023, leaving the World Cup in Qatar out of the equation.
Messi’s achievements during the voting period include Leagues Cup with Inter Miami, and the Ligue 1, with Paris Saint-Germain.
It proved to be enough to topple Haaland, who scored 52 goals in 53 games and won a treble with Manchester City in the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup.
Messi did not go to London and did not send anyone in his place to collect a trophy that he has now won three times: in 2019 ahead of Virgil Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo, and in 2022, beating Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema.
The one who was there was Pep Guardiola, who took the award for best coach, ahead of Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti, for his treble with City, the second in his career after that with Barcelona in 2009.
The Spaniard dedicated the award to his 92-year-old father, who accompanied him to the ceremony.
England coach Sarina Wiegman triumphed ahead of Jonatan Giraldez of Barcelona and Emma Hayes of Chelsea as the best women’s coach.
The Dutchwoman won this award for the fourth time after leading England to the World Cup final alongside winning the Arnold Cup and the Finalissima.
It was not the only award for England, as Earps beat Cata Coll and Mackenzie Arnold in the award for best goalkeeper.
The Puskas award went to Guilherme Madruga, who scored a bicycle kick with Botafogo in the Brazilian Serie B.
The award for best fan went to Hugo Miguel Iniguez, a Colon fan from Santa Fe, who was recorded in the stands of the stadium while breastfeeding his son to the rhythms of the songs.
The votes for The Best are divided 25 percent between the national coaches, the national captains, a group of journalists, and the fans. EFE
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