UEFA have explained why Inter Miami star Lionel Messi was nominated for the 2023 Men’s Player of the Year award

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has been nominated for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, leading many to question his eligibility for the award while playing outside Europe and others to ask whether he deserved to be shortlisted for the honour.

Messi nominated for UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award

Messi had an underwhelming 2022/23 European season with Paris Saint Germain, crashing out of the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16, but has still been shortlisted alongside Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne for the award.

Unlike Messi, Haaland and De Bruyne led Manchester City to their famous treble, including the UCL, Premier League, and FA Cup, with some exceptional performances and were obvious choices in the shortlist for the European award.

UEFA have now given an explanation as to why Messi was nominated alongside the pair despite having a relatively underwhelming campaign compared to the Manchester City duo.

UEFA explains reason for Messi’s nomination

According to European football’s governing body, Messi was chosen ahead of other possible nominees, including Manchester City’s Rodri, who scored the winner in the UCL final, because his exploits at the 2022 World Cup were taken into consideration.

Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title for the first time since 1986, and UEFA noted that this was part of the reason he made the top three, saying, “Though Messi starred for Paris and ended the season with his second Ligue 1 title, it was his exploits at the FIFA World Cup with Argentina that really caught the eye.”

After extolling his World Cup performance, where he contributed directly to 10 goals in seven matches, UEFA also noted his equally impressive numbers in the UCL and Ligue 1, where he was directly involved in 40 goals in 39 appearances across both competitions.