Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest football player of all time, has been selected as the 2023 Athlete of the Year by Times magazine. The announcement follows Messi’s record-breaking eighth Ballon d’Or victory in 2023, which cemented his place in football legend. Argentina’s successful 2022 World Cup campaign was greatly aided by Messi, who helped his team win the championship and defeat France in the final. In addition to being the second-highest goal scorer in the competition, he was named Best Player. Messi left PSG during this summer’s transfer window as a free agent after failing to maintain his level of play at the World Cup.
By his own standards, his stint at PSG may be viewed as a disappointment, and the supporters regularly made fun of him.
He was first anticipated to go back to Barcelona, whom he shockingly departed in 2021 to sign a free agency contract with PSG. This happened because Barcelona was unable to pay for him to sign a new contract. However, the Catalan team was unable to pay him once more, and he turned down offers from the Saudi Pro League to play for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer, an organisation that is also co-owned by former player David Beckham.