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Lionel Messi has been awarded another prestigious title after he was declared TIME 2023 Athlete of the Year despite the undeniable efforts of tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Messi finally realised his dream of winning the World Cup with Argentina last December and has gone on to make a huge impact in Major League Soccer after the former Barcelona legend joined Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
Messi helped steer the David Beckham-owned outfit to their first-ever silverware in the Leagues Cup and scored 11 goals in 14 appearances for his new team, helping to sell out stadiums across the States.
His telling contribution and overall impact on the popularity of football in the US was enough to land the gong from TIME but fellow sporting great Djokovic could consider himself hard done by after another outstanding season.
The Croatian won three grand slams – the Australian Open, French Open and US Open – and finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon Championship, finishing the year as the highest-ranked player once more.
But despite producing another dominant campaign ‘Messia Mania’ appears to have gathered enough momentum to capture the prize in what is a historic moment.
The Argentina captain has become the first individual soccer player to win the award after the US Women’s National Team triumphed at the inaugural event in 2019. Previous winners of the largely American-focus prize include NBA legend LeBron James, baseball star Aaron Judge and gymnast Simone Biles.
The TIME award comes just weeks after Messi collected a record-breaking eighth Ballon d’Or in Paris, which is bestowed on who is considered to be the world’s best player. He is now three Ballon d’Ors ahead of long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Manchester City stiker Erling Haaland had been tipped to challenge Messi for the prestigious football prize, but just like Djokovic has found himself out in the cold.
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And it would seem that it is Messi’s ability to gather new traction in the MLS that has significantly helped to influence the reasoning behind his latest success.
FC Dallas president Dan Hunt revealed that the arrival of Messi has not only sparked heightened interest in US soccer but opened the door to more top-level players making the move into the league.
Hunt told TIME magazine: “We are having conversations with people that would not even be remotely possible five years ago. And I know we’re not the only ones.”
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