Lionel Messi has made history by becoming the first male soccer player to be named the Athlete of the Year by TIME.
TIME Magazine has handed out a Person of the Year award annually since 1927, with former winners including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Pope John XXIII, Richard Nixon, Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg.
But the publication’s Athlete of the Year prize has only been going since 2019.
It was first won collectively by the USWNT shortly after the likes of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe had delivered a fourth Women’s World Cup title for their nation.
NBA legend LeBron James, gymnastics GOAT Simone Biles and baseball star Aaron Judge have also won the award.
Messi’s victory comes 352 days after he captained Argentina to glory at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar.
The 36-year-old then moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami in July and quickly established himself as one of the biggest icons in US sports, introducing himself by scoring from a stunning last-minute free-kick on his debut.
But his game-changing move to America almost did not happen.
Messi admitted in an interview with TIME that a return to Barcelona had been his first choice upon leaving PSG, while he was also offered significantly more money to transfer to a club in Saudi Arabia’s Pro League.
“The truth is that fortunately, I had several options on the table that were interesting, and I had to analyze them and think, even weigh them up with my family, before making the final decision to come to Miami,” Messi explained.
“My first option was to return to Barcelona, but it was not possible. I tried to return, and it did not happen.”
Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi is TIME’s 2023 Athlete of the Year
IMAGO/Icon Sportswire/David Jensen
He added: “It is also true that later I was thinking a lot about going to the Saudi league, where I know the country and they have created a very powerful competition that can become an important league in the near future.
“As the country’s tourism ambassador, it was a destination that attracted me, especially because I’ve enjoyed everything I have visited, because of how football is growing in the country and because of the effort they are putting into creating a top competition.
“It was Saudi Arabia or MLS, and both options seemed very interesting to me.”
Messi’s Miami career is only 14 games’ old but he has already produced 11 goals and five assists, as well as leading the club to a first ever trophy by providing multiple magical performances in a triumphant 2023 Leagues Cup campaign.
In October, Messi won the Ballon d’Or award after being voted as the best male player in world soccer for a record-breaking eighth time.
Messi pictured lifting his most recent Ballon d’Or trophy at a celebration event in Miami in November
