Time Magazine named Lionel Messi Athlete of the Year for 2023. This comes after he moved to the US to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. Some other people who have won the award are Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, LeBron James, and the US women’s national team. Aaron Judge, who plays right field for the New York Yankees, won the award in 2022.

Messi played his first game for Inter Miami in July. He made a big impression by scoring a free kick in the last few minutes to give his team a 2-1 win. He has made a huge difference in the MLS since then.

Before Messi joined Inter Miami, they had never won a big trophy. But after he joined, they beat Nashville in the final and Messi scored the winning goal. At the end of the season, the Argentinean scored 11 goals in 14 games across all categories. He was also nominated for MLS MVP.

When he led Argentina to win at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he won his record-setting eighth Ballon d’Or in October.

Source: https://www.espn.in/football/story/_/id/39047627/inter-miami-lionel-messi-named-athlete-year