Despite a more than ordinary 2023 between PSG and Inter Miami, Lionel Messi was named sportsman of the year by Time. And the reason risks raising eyebrows.
Recently winner of his eighth Ballon d’Or, mainly for Argentina’s coronation at the World Cup in Qatar, Lionel Messi ends the year with a new distinction, this one awarded by the Time. The Argentinian was indeed named sportsman of the year. And this despite a complicated year 2023 since after having ended his adventure in Paris in acrimony, he joined Inter Miami where his arrival was not enough for the Florida franchise to avoid elimination in the regular season, weighed down by a catastrophic start to the season.
Lionel Messi has certainly scored 11 goals and 5 assists in 14 appearances in all competitions but for the American magazine, the main thing is elsewhere. Seen from America, his signing in Miami alone was enough to make him the sportsman of the year. “He achieved what seemed impossible, making the United States a football country,” thus writes the American magazine. By its own admission, Pulga almost never joined MLS. Blame it on Saudi Arabia’s incredible offensive. “I had several options on the table. I had to analyze them and think about them with my family, before making the decision to come to Miami. My first option was to return to Barcelona, but that was not possible. I tried to come back but it didn’t happen. It’s true that afterwards, I thought a lot about going to the Saudi League. I know the country and they have created a very powerful competition, which can become an important championship in the near future.”confided the former Parisian.
Lionel Messi is TIME’s 2023 Athlete of the Year https://t.co/qPR75Hgt6f pic.twitter.com/EXqxl08lZN
— TIME (@TIME) December 5, 2023
“As Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador, it was a destination that attracted me, because I enjoyed everything I visited, but also because of the growth of football in the country and the efforts made to create a high-level competition, he continued. It was Saudi Arabia or MLS and both options seemed interesting to me. »
