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Lionel Messi has been named 2023 TIME Athlete of the Year, making him the oldest person to achieve the feat.
TIME Magazine has named Lionel Messi as the Athlete of the Year for 2023 for his exploits with Argentina and his club, Inter Miami.
The announcement comes shortly after Messi won the 2023 Ballon d'Or to crown an amazing 2022/23 season in which he helped Argentina win the FIFA World Cup.
However, this latest accolade from TIME magazine is an acknowledgement of his impact on American football since arriving in the MLS having signed for Inter Miami in July.
Lionel Messi named 2023 TIME Athlete of the Year
Popular magazine TIME is well-known for the iconic Person of the Year award, which has been handed out every year since 1927 but the Athlete of the Year award is a more recent development which started in 2019.
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Lionel Messi joins basketball legend LeBron James, gymnastics queen Simon Biles and Aaron Judge and baseball star Aaron Judge as the only athletes to have won the award.
The 36-year-old Argentine also becomes the oldest athlete and the first non-American to be named the TIME Athlete of the Year.
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