Messi and Bonmati triumph at The Best FIFA Awards

Lionel Messi won the Men's Player of the Year accolade for a record third time at The FIFA Best Awards ceremony in London.

The Argentina captain, 36, finished ahead of Erling Haaland in a vote tie-break thanks to receiving more first-choice nominations from national team captains, with the pair tied on 48 points.

Manchester City striker Haaland was unlucky to miss out on another award after achieving a record-breaking Premier League scoring total of 36 goals last term and helping the Citizens win the Treble.

Messi netted 16 goals and registered the same number of assists for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season before making a blockbuster move to Inter Miami, where he lifted the Leagues Cup last August.

Ballon d'Or Feminin holder Aitana Bonmati, 25, was crowned the Best Women's Player following a phenomenal 2023 with Spain and Barcelona.

The midfield maestro was a key figure in La Roja's World Cup triumph last summer, while she also won the Champions League and Liga F with Barca.

After being presented with the award, Bonmati said: "I am proud of being part of a powerful generation of women, part of changing the rules of the game and the world."

Other winners

Elsewhere, Pep Guardiola was named the Best Men's Coach and England boss Sarina Weigman claimed the women's prize for a fourth time.

Wiegman, 54, said: "I feel very privileged and humbled to be here again. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in our performances with England. 

"Most of all thanks to the players who have performed so well on the back of the Euros and the World Cup — lots of things were thrown in front of us and we did really well."

Mary Earps won the Best Women's Goalkeeper for the second year running after a superb campaign with England and Manchester United, which also saw her win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

The star keeper, 30, said: "If you are struggling, keep going. It's never too late to be who you are — 2023 showed we can change the world if we speak out against injustice, so let's keep doing that."

Ederson took home the men's award following his impressive performances between the sticks during City's Treble-winning season.

Guilherme Madruga pipped Brighton's Julio Enciso to the Puskas Award thanks to his sublime overhead kick during Botafogo's match against Novorizontino in the Brazilian second tier.

Brazil's men's team claimed the FIFA Fairplay Award for wearing black kits in a friendly match against Guinea last June to showcase solidarity with Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr after he was the target of racist abuse in LaLiga.

Best XIs

The 2023 FIFPRO Men's World XI: Thibaut Courtois, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Jude Bellingham, Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Vinicius Jr.

The 2023 FIFPRO Women's World XI: Mary Earps, Olga Carmona, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo, Lauren James, Ella Toone, Aitana Bonmati, Alex Morgan and Sam Kerr.