Yearender: From Sunil Chettri-led team setting new heights to Messi's record-bre

Argentinas football maestro and Diego Maradonas successor Lionel Messi had a remarkable year paralleling the groundbreaking success of the Sunil Chhetriled Indian football team thriving under the guidance of Igor StimacFootball in 2023 Chhetris exploitsSimilar to Messis global triumphs the Indian squad celebrated a series of victories in 2023 marking a significant shift in football perceptions The Blue Tigers secured three international trophies commencing with the TriNations Series victory in March followed by the Intercontinental Cup and culminating in the SAFF Championship triumph in Bengaluru in JulyThe habit of lifting trophies in 2023 reaped rewards at the global stage Their consecutive triumph saw them rise in FIFA Rankings breaking into the top 100 for the first time in five yearsFollowing their triumph in the SAFF Championship India established itself as a dominant force in South Asian Football as this victory marked their ninth titleNot only the senior team but the young Blue Colts also emerged victorious in the SAFF Mens U19 champions after hammering Pakistan in the final and clinching a vigorous 30 victoryComing to their Intercontinental Cup success the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar was packed to the rafters as India were crowned champions The Blue Tigers overcame Lebanon securing a 20 victory with goals from skipper Sunil Chhetri and Lallianzuala ChhangteFootball in 2023 Messi at his bestWhile European football was dominated by two names Lionel Messi and Manchester City Under the leadership of Messi Argentina won their third World Cup and his noteworthy performance was recognized by a recordextending eighth Ballon dOrHe previously won the award in 2009 2010 2011 2012 2015 2019 and 2021 The young boy from Santa Fe who made his first appearance in 2004 has enjoyed a career that can be deemed nothing short of a fairytaleAlso Read Unraveling mega deals and dilemmas Kylian Mbappe and the Saudi Arabia offerHe ended his stint with France champions Paris Saint Germain and made a switch to Major League Soccer MLS in the summer Messi guided Inter Miami to their first trophy in the history of the club after they emerged victorious against Nashville on penalties in the Leagues Cup finalBallon dOr wasnt the only accolade that Messi bagged this year after realizing his ultimate ambition in Qatar He won the 2023 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award after getting a nod ahead of Kylian Mbappe Max Verstappen and Rafael Nadal This was the second time that Messi was named the Laureus Sportsman of the Year awardAlong with this he also went on to lift the Ligue 1 title with PSG in a closely fought affair They finished the season on 85 points just a point ahead of Lens who ended up on the second spot with 84 points He also ended the season as the top assist provider in the French league with a tally of 16Football in 2023 Man City onwards and upwardsWhile Messi extended his recordbreaking tally Manchester City etched their names in the history books by clinching an elusive treble last seasonThey lifted the Premier League FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League trophy to complete the elusive treble and become the first English team to do so since their archrival Manchester United in 1999Their Norwegian goalscoring machine Erling Haaland became the Premier League player with the most goals in a single season across all competitions overcoming Liverpools Mo Salahs tally of 44 goals in the 201718 seasonHe also earned the Premier League Player of the Season and Golden Boot awards for 36 goals the most by a player in a 38game Premier League season It also included four hattricksHe won the Mens Professional Footballers Association PFA Players Player of the Year The Norwegian clinched the award seeing off competition from Harry Kane as well as City teammates Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones plus the Arsenal duo of Bukayo Saka and Martin OdegaardWith agency inputs