Lionel Messi wins TIME’S Athlete of the Year award

Argentine icon Lionel Messi has bagged TIME’S Athlete of the Year award for 2023, beating tennis star Novak Djokovic.

The football maestro earned the recognition following his quick impact since joining Inter Miami in Major League Soccer last summer.

Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami in July coincided with the team languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

However, he has since turned their fortunes around, and secured their first-ever trophy by winning the League Cup in August.

The 36-year-old scored ten goals in seven games during the campaign.

TIME’s acknowledgment marks Messi as the first individual soccer player to receive the Athlete of the Year award, after previously earned by the US Women’s National Team in 2019.

Past individual recipients of the award include LeBron James, Simone Biles, and Aaron Judge.

The prize adds to Messi’s recent titles and awards. Recall that in the last one year, he won the World Cup, and secured his eighth Ballon d’Or award in October.