Amid their various prestigious year-end awards, TIME has named Lionel Messi their Athlete of the Year. He became the first non-American recipient since the award was created in 2019. Messi was lauded for a phenomenal 2023, which included playing in two separate club seasons without a break. Of course, that all began after Messi made the shock decision to spurn Saudi Arabia and leave PSG for Inter Miami and the MLS. He got off to an explosive start with Inter Miami, scoring 10 goals in 7 games across the inaugural Leagues Cup. However, Messi would substantially cool off, only make another seven appearances across the second half of the MLS season.
Furthermore, Messi’s time in America came after he played a full season with PSG. Messi had 20 goals in 35 games for PSG in a season that saw the French giants secure yet another domestic title. However, the rarity of a player who essentially spent the whole year playing soccer without a break makes Messi unmatched. 2024 will see Messi’s first full campaign in the MLS, as well as a South American homecoming in the Copa America.
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Taylor Swift Namd TIME Person Of The Year
Meanwhile, the magazine also named Taylor Swift as their coveted Person of the Year. The honor is often reserved for politicians and other powerful figures. In 2022, the award was given to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the “Spirit of Ukraine”. The year before that, Elon Musk was the honoree. However, TIME editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs noted that Swift “transcends borders [and is] a source of light. Furthermore, he also called her a “rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story.”
Swift topped a ten-item shortlist for the award. She was picked over the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikers, Paramount Leader of China Xi Jinping, Elon Musk, OpenAI founder Sam Altman, prosecutors pursuing charges against Donald Trump, Barbie, Russian President Vladimir Putin, King Charles III of Great Britain, and Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell.
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