Messi first MLS player named to Best FIFA Men’s Player shortlist

Messi made one more bit of MLS history by making FIFA’s shortlist

Lionel Messi leads a list of 12 nominees on the shortlist for the 2023 Best FIFA Men’s Player award.

Messi is the first player from an MLS club to be nominated for the award, which he has won twice previously in 2019 and 2022.

After his heroics helped Argentina bring home a third World Cup in 2022, Messi is — as is the case with this year’s Ballon d’Or — a solid favorite to win the award.

Messi’s most frequent competitor for big international awards, Cristiano Ronaldo, was left off the list, which instead features no fewer than five current Manchester City players.

Here are all 12 players on the shortlist for the 2023 Best FIFA Men’s Player award.