The International Federation of Football History & Statistics' 2023 list of Men's World Best Player had a notable absentee from the top ten: Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal international, who is enjoying a productive spell in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, finished 11th on the charts, eight spots below his eternal adversary, Lionel Messi. Displeased with his position, Ronaldo responded to a social media post concerning the standings with laughing emojis, implying his disregard for the rankings. (Football News)
The list featured Manchester City star Erling Haaland as the best player in the world, as per IFFHS, in 2023, with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi - who won his eighth Ballon d'Or a month ago - rounding up the podium.
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IFFHS rewarded Haaland for an outstanding debut year in England, during which the Norwegian forward led Manchester City to a historic treble, winning the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and the FA Cup. Mbappe's fruitful 12 months put him second in the IFFHS rankings, surprisingly, ahead of Messi.
Manchester City's Rodri came fourth in the year-end standings, followed by latest Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham. Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane, Bernardo Silva, Vinicius Jr, and Lautaro Martinez made up the rest of the top ten.
Despite his high-yield year, Ronaldo finished 11th in the final rankings - a notion which, per his reaction, he disagrees with. Nevertheless, the Portugal international will look to quickly put the disappointment behind him as he continues to lead Al-Nassr's charge in the Saudi Pro League. At the time of writing, he has scored 29 goals in 30 games across all competition in the 2023-24 season, 19 of those coming in the league in just 17 games.
