Messi named Time’s Athlete of the Year for 2023
ARGENTINA captain Lionel Messi has been named Time magazine’s Athlete of the Year for 2023 after winning the Ballon d’Or for a record-extending eighth time and elevating the profile of the sport in the U.S. with his move to Inter Miami.
Messi played a key role in guiding Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years when they beat defending champions France in the final in December last year.
The 36-year-old had no shortage of offers when he left Paris St Germain earlier this year, choosing to sign for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami despite being linked with his former team Barcelona and a big-money move to Saudi side Al-Hilal.
“The truth is that fortunately, I had several options on the table that were interesting, and I had to analyse them and think, even weigh them up with my family, before making the final decision to come to Miami,” Messi told Time.
Messi made an instant impact at Miami, scoring 10 goals in seven Leagues Cup appearances as he spurred them to victory in the tournament which features MLS teams as well as sides from Mexico.
The Argentine’s arrival in the U.S. also made waves off the pitch, causing a massive spike in searches for match dates and tickets to see him in action, with fans also buying up his official pink Inter Miami shirt.
The price of tickets to Inter Miami games skyrocketed, while Apple TV, which has a 10-year partnership with the MLS, saw a significant increase in subscriptions, according to research firm Antenna.
“Messi managed to do what once seemed impossible: turning the U.S. into a soccer country,” Time wrote.
Simone Biles, LeBron James and the United States women’s soccer team have won the award in recent years, with Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees winning in 2022. — Reuters.
PEP GUARDIOLA has slammed Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher in a bitter put-down after Manchester City were accused of being complacent.
And the angry Treble–winning Etihad boss also took aim at his club’s former player Micah Richards too in a show-us-your-medals blast.
Former Manchester United skipper Neville claimed City were letting their bid for a fourth successive Prem title slide after last Sunday’s 3-3 meeting with Tottenham.
He said: “What he won’t like, Guardiola, is [the] decision, the complacency, defensive lapses and giving up points again to Tottenham.”
His fellow Sky Sports pundit Richards added: “Something’s just not right, too easy to play against on counter, individual mistakes again.”
But Guardiola, bidding to become the first manager in history to win four top-flight crowns, sneered: “Maybe I’m wrong but it’s not about complacency.
“I know the players, I know how they run. How we behave is extraordinary.
“I have a feeling that if we maintain that level, we’ll win the Premier League. We will win it again.
“He knows how difficult it is otherwise Gary Neville would’ve won four Premier Leagues in the best period of Manchester United. “But he didn’t do it, you know? “Jamie Carragher didn’t win one once. Micah Richards didn’t win four Premier Leagues in a row.
“Never, ever. It’s never happened. There is more chance of it not happening than happening.
“Just one Treble before us. It’s so difficult to do it again and again.
“We don’t have what others have, who haven’t done it for many, many years.
“Normally it happens that when you drop points, people say : ‘OK you drop points, against Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham – what a disaster.’
“It’s Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham - what do people expect? That we get 120 points and be 20 points in front?
“Of course our behaviour in some moments, after winning the Treble and three leagues in a row, you need sometimes to defend a cross more aggressively, how we attack a ball.
“They are the little details. It happens. They come because we won a lot.” − The Sun.