Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe will compete against each other once more.
Alongside Erling Haaland, both players have been nominated for FIFA’s 2023 Player of the Year.
Messi’s nomination comes off the back of his performance at the 2022 World Cup, where he led Argentina to the top spot.
However, according to FIFA’s rules, the nomination process for the award takes into account games played from December 19th, 2022, to August 20th, 2023.
The World Cup final was played on December 18th, making Messi’s heroics short of the award cutoff date.
Fortunately, the ex-Barcelona man put on an impressive showing for Paris Saint Germain during that time, scoring 11 goals during that time frame.
The Argentine would subsequently sign with Inter Miami on July 15th, where he would lead the Herons to its first title in club history in August with the Leagues Cup.
Messi is heading into his second season with the Major League Soccer team with high expectations.
Inter Miami’s busy 2024
Inter Miami is getting ready for a busy 2024.
Not only are they finalizing a deal to bring Luis Suárez to the side, but they’re also in a prime position to land free-agent wing-back Julian Gressel. Should the Herons acquire both players, it’ll give Messi the attacking platform he needs to succeed.
Miami ended the 2023 season on a bad note. Though they won the Leagues Cup, the men in pink fell short of making the postseason.
According to club Sporting Director Chris Henderson, Miami intends to revamp every part of its roster.
“We’re looking at everything to [improve the squad.] We have high hopes for 2024, and we want to show what we can do as a club,” he said.
“Winning trophies and having high ambition is something we’ve had since day one.”
Next year is setting up to be one of the most important seasons in Inter Miami’s history.