Lionel Messi may have left the limelight of European football behind, but he remains a magnet to the game’s biggest awards after being crowned FIFA’s best men’s player for 2023 on Monday.

The selection of the 36-year-old over pretenders to his crown Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe was a controversial one in the year Messi took what many see as the step down in standard to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

Yet, Messi’s pulling power was still in evidence last year as he quickly conquered the United States.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner dragged a hitherto struggling squad to the first trophy ever won by the franchise, which is co-owned by David Beckham, by lifting the Leagues Cup in August.

He also racked up another league title at Paris Saint-Germain prior to leaving Europe behind, but his final few months in the French capital were far from plain sailing.

Read full story on sport.timesofmalta.com

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