Lionel Messi has been named Time magazine’s “Athlete of the Year” for 2023 after a trailblazing season marked by an eighth Ballon d’Or award and his ground-breaking move to Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami.
Time said the Argentine superstar had already had a transformative impact on the American sporting landscape, which has been historically slow to embrace football.
“Lionel Messi this year managed to do what once seemed impossible, when he signed with Inter Miami: turning the US into a soccer country,” Time commented.
The 36-year-old Argentine became world champion in Qatar in December 2022 after scoring seven goals, including two in the final against France, to finally emulate Diego Maradona and secure his status as the greatest player of all time.
The Argentine also produced three assists (the most in the tournament), created the second most chances and won five “Player of the Match” awards, including in the final, the most of any player as he completed soccer.
Domestically, he scored 16 goals and produced 16 assists for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 as he speared them onto the title with some big, late goals.
Whilst he also added an extra goal in the Trophee des Champions. In UEFA’s Champions League, the highest standard of club competition in Europe, he produced four goals and four assists in seven games.
He then swapped PSG for MLS club Inter Miami, owned by David Beckham, in the summer to pursue his career in the United States in a media coup that is still generating interest, but even there his legacy isn’t limited to the impact of his aura.
He produced a goal and two assists in six MLS games but critically scored 10 times in the Leagues Cup and produced an extra assist as he drove Inter Miami to their first ever trophy, as they won the final 10-9 on penalties against Nashville SC. He also added two assists in the final of the US Open Cup but Inter Miami couldn’t win the title.
