Lionel Messi has been chosen Time magazine’s “Athlete of the Year” for 2023 following a record-breaking season that included an eighth Ballon d’Or award and a groundbreaking move to Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami.
According to Time, the Argentine superstar has already had a dramatic impact on the American athletic environment, which has been sluggish to embrace football in the past.
“Lionel Messi this year managed to do what once seemed impossible, when he signed with Inter Miami: turning the US into a soccer country,” Time commented.
Messi, 36, made his Miami debut in July after a contentious exit from Paris Saint-Germain.
The World Cup winner also turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in favor of a fresh chapter in Major League Soccer.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had an immediate impact on Miami’s fortunes, helping the team win the expanded Leagues Cup, a cross-border competition between MLS and Mexico’s top flight.
Messi concluded the season with 11 goals in 14 appearances across all competitions, but an injury near the conclusion of the season prevented him from helping Miami advance to the playoffs.
Messi was described by Time as saying that his first choice after PSG was a fairytale return to Barcelona, but the deal fell through due to the club’s financial difficulties.
“I tried to return, and it did not happen,” Messi said, adding that he was also “thinking a lot” about joining the wave of overseas players who have headed to the Saudi Pro League.
“It was Saudi Arabia or MLS, and both options seemed very interesting to me,” Messi told the magazine.
According to Time, Messi’s entrance boosted attendance, ticket prices, merchandise sales, and viewership, with Apple TV subscriptions — which holds exclusive rights to MLS — increasing by 110,000 on the day of his debut, a 1,700% rise over the previous day.