On the evening of December 14, Beijing time, FIFA officially announced the three candidates for the best men's football player in 2023, and Messi, Mbappe, and Haaland were shortlisted.
Candidate for FIFA Player of the Year
Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway)
The 22-year-old goalscoring machine was unstoppable, lifting the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup trophies for Manchester City this year to achieve the club's first treble.
He scored 28 goals in 33 games during qualifying, and his combination of speed, power and finishing ability was too much for the best defenders in the world to bear.
In addition to club honours, Haaland has also received a number of individual accolades, including the European Golden Boot, the Premier League Golden Boot and, in the rare second hand, the Premier League Player of the Year and Young Player of the Season at the same time.
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
The blistering France international scored 17 goals in his final 20 league games last season to secure Paris' eighth Ligue 1 title in the last 11 years. The season also included an astonishing run of nine goals in six consecutive matches.
These results earned the talented striker the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and the honour of Ligue 1's top scorer. He also scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final.
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami/Argentina)
Messi has won major honours in all competitions he has competed in, including national, international and personal, and continues to captivate global audiences at the age of 36.
Messi was named the best men's player of the year in 2022 and has led Argentina to the top of Qatar and has become the only player to have assisted in all five World Cups. He then helped Paris Saint-Germain lift the Ligue 1 title, and at the end of the season, he was also at the top of the Ligue 1 assists charts.
In July, a new challenge arose as Messi crossed the Atlantic to join Inter Miami, a move that was warmly welcomed.
Judging Rules
The FIFA Best of the Year award reference period is from December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023 (excluding the 2022 FIFA World Cup).
The FIFA Best of the Year shortlist is determined by a panel of FIFA experts, with the final winner being voted for by the captains, managers, media representatives and fans of each national team, with 25% of the votes cast each (the nominated captain of the national team cannot vote for himself).
Each voter has a total of 3 votes (5 points), 2nd (3 points), and 3rd (1 point), and the player with the highest score will receive the FIFA Player of the Year award (if both players have the same score, the player with the most first picks will be elected).
The 2023 FIFA Awards of the Year ceremony will take place in London on 15 January 2024, where the final results of all awards, including Player of the Year, will be announced.