Haaland Wins UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award – Erling Haaland’s Victory Over Lionel Messi.
Erling Haaland, the forward who scored 52 goals in 53 matches to help Manchester City secure a treble in the 2022-2023 season, has surpassed Lionel Messi to claim the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award.
As announced by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) during the draw for the 2023-2024 Champions League on August 31st, Haaland garnered 352 points, edging out Messi (227 points) and Kevin De Bruyne (225 points).
This result was determined by a panel convened by UEFA, comprising managers of clubs participating in the group stages of the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League 2023-2024, national team coaches from UEFA member countries, and 55 journalists. Each coach and journalist selected three players from the list, awarding five points, three points, and one point respectively.
“This is a huge award, and I am truly proud of this recognition,” Haaland stated. “However, this is a team sport, and without my teammates, I wouldn’t have achieved this feat.”
Apart from the FA Cup, Haaland secured the Golden Boot in the other two major competitions. He scored 36 goals in the Premier League, setting a new league record, and netted 12 goals in the Champions League, four more than the second-place Mohamed Salah (Liverpool).
The 23-year-old forward also became the third player in history to score five goals in a single Champions League match, following Messi and Luiz Adriano, when he helped Manchester City secure a 7-0 victory over Leipzig in the Round of 16 second leg. He also became the youngest and fastest player to reach 35 goals in the Champions League.
The UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award has been presented since the 2010-2011 season, initially won by Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the most wins, claiming the award three times in 2014, 2016, and 2017, while Messi won it twice in 2011 and 2015.
The previous season’s winner was Karim Benzema, who scored 15 goals on the journey that led Real Madrid to their 14th Champions League title, along with 27 goals in La Liga and victory in the UEFA Nations League with the French national team.
This year’s Coach of the Year award was bestowed upon Pep Guardiola. The Spanish manager played a significant role in Manchester City becoming the second English club in history to win three major titles in a single season, following Manchester United in 1999.
Guardiola also became the first coach to achieve this feat with two different clubs, Barcelona in the 2008-2009 season and Manchester City in the 2022-2023 season.
The Man City team claimed the UEFA Men’s Team of the Year award. Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola secured the top honors in the UEFA individual awards, a well-deserved recognition as they guided Manchester City to their first-ever Champions League title, completing the historic treble.
As expected, Pep Guardiola won the UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year award, surpassing his “final opponent” in the Champions League, Simone Inzaghi (Inter Milan’s coach), and Luciano Spalletti, who led Napoli to the Serie A title and currently coaches the Italian national team. This is the first time the 52-year-old coach has been honored with the award introduced in 2020, although he has consistently appeared on the nomination list in all four editions.
In the women’s category, the star of the 2023 World Cup-winning Spain team, Aitana Bonmati, clinched the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award. At 25 years old, Bonmati played a pivotal role as Barcelona won the women’s Champions League in the previous season, followed by her recognition as the Best Player of the Women’s World Cup 2023 held in Australia and New Zealand.
Bonmati surpassed teammate Olga Carmona, who scored the decisive goal in the Women’s World Cup final against England, and forward Sam Kerr (of the Australian national team and Chelsea FC).
Meanwhile, in a surprising outcome, coach Jorge Vilda settled for second place despite leading the Spanish women’s national team to the pinnacle of the world. The triumph in this category went to Sarina Wiegman, coach of the England women’s national team, marking her second consecutive year receiving the award after clinching the European Championship in 2022.
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