<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/leo-leaves-2026-world-cup-door-open-23322986" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Lionel Messi</a> has been named Time magazine&rsquo;s &ldquo;Athlete of the Year&rdquo; for 2023 after a trailblazing season marked by an eighth Ballon d&rsquo;Or award and his ground-breaking move to Major League Soccer&rsquo;s Inter Miami.&nbsp;
Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/we-never-gave-up-arteta-23323682" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">We never gave up: Arteta</a>
Time said the Argentine superstar had already had a transformative impact on the American sporting landscape, which has been historically slow to embrace <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/we-will-win-premier-league-man-city-manager-guardiola-23323502" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">football</a>. &ldquo;Lionel Messi this year managed to do what once seemed impossible, when he signed with Inter Miami: turning the US into a soccer country,&rdquo; Time commented.
Messi, 36, made his debut for Miami in July following an acrimonious departure from Paris Saint-Germain. The World Cup-winner also rebuffed a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in favor of a new chapter in MLS. The eight-time Ballon d&rsquo;Or winner made an instant impact on Miami&rsquo;s fortunes, playing a pivotal role in helping the team win the expanded Leagues Cup, a cross-border competition for teams from MLS and Mexico&rsquo;s top flight. Messi was quoted by Time as saying that his first preference after PSG had been a fairytale return to Barcelona, but that move stalled over the club&rsquo;s finances. &ldquo;I tried to return, and it did not happen,&rdquo; Messi said, adding that he was also &ldquo;thinking a lot&rdquo; about joining the wave of overseas players who have headed to the Saudi Pro League.
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“Lionel Messi this year managed to do what once seemed impossible, when he signed with Inter Miami: turning the US into a soccer country,” Time commented

Messi named Time’s Athlete of the Year

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Messi named Time’s Athlete of the Year

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