Lionel Messi earned an incredible honor on Monday afternoon. The longtime soccer star beat Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe for The 2023 Best FIFA Men's Player award, per ESPN. Messi won the 2022 World Cup, but his run with Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami likely pushed him atop voting.

Lionel Messi receives recognition amid his incredible year-and-a-half soccer run

In 2022, Messi helped Argentina win their third World Cup in six final appearances. Unfortunately, Kylian Mbappe was on the losing side of the championship after his French squad fell. However, both stars won a Ligue 1 title together in 2023 as teammates on PSG.

Afterward, Messi signed with Inter Miami and contributed to his team's first-ever League Cup. Mbappe continues his run for Paris Saint-Germain, where he is lighting up the goal-scoring charts.

Meanwhile, Erling Haaland has enjoyed incredible success of his own.

The Norwegian star joined Manchester City in June 2022 and showed an amazing display of offense. Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 matches in his debut season. Moreover, he scored 36 goals in the Premier League, which was a single-season record.

With Haaland being the youngest of the group at 23, he has the potential to overtake Messi and Mbappe for future men's Best FIFA Player honors.

Lionel Messi has battled injury woes, but that will not stop him from enjoying the back end of an incredible soccer career. The 38-year-old suffered an abductor injury during Argentina's 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Brazil. He is recovering and looks to resurge in 2024.

It is an incredible time to be a soccer fan amid multiple stars' dominance. Who will come out on top in 2024?