The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) crowned Norwegian striker Erling Haaland as the best football player in the world for 2023. It comes as a second snub in a row for Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who was recently placed 10th in The Guardian’s rankings for best male football player.

The IFFHS crowns the best players, coaches, and clubs every year in a number of categories. The organization elected the Manchester City striker as the best player with 205 votes, nearly twice those of second-placed Kylian Mbappé. Messi was third, with 85 votes.

Haaland was a key member of the team coached by Pep Guardiola, which won the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, and the FA Cup treble, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

Messi, who won the 2023 Ballon d’Or, taking his tally to an all-time record of eight, admitted he has always preferred team achievements over individual ones. “After winning the World Cup, I don’t think much about the Ballon d’Or. The World Cup was what I wanted,” he said during his first interview as an Inter Miami player in August.

The Rosario-born star wasn’t the only Argentine to feature in the IFFHS list, with his Albiceleste teammate and Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martínez coming in at 10th.

The award began as an annual prize between 1988 and 1990. FIFA later adopted it, turning it into the FIFA World Player of the Year award between 1991 and 2009. After that, it was halted until 2020, when it was relaunched as an autonomous prize. 

Sports journalists and football experts from 120 countries make up the international jury that votes on the award.

Messi is the only Argentine to have won the distinction. He first won it in 2009 and then repeated the feat in 2022. The only two other Argentine players to have featured are Diego Maradona (second placed in 1988 and 1990) and Gabriel Batistuta (third in 1999).