Messi wins 2023 Athlete of the Year: List of TIME magazine’s past winners
Lionel Messi has been named Athlete of the Year by TIME Magazine for his astonishing impact since arriving in MLS. The 36-year-old made the switch to Inter Miami in July and had an immediate, transformative effect on those around him, leading the team to the first silverware in franchise History . But Messi’s i NFL uence extended far beyond the confines of the locker room and he has helped to shift perceptions of soccer in the United States. On the day of Messi’s Inter Miami debut, Apple added around 110,000 new US-based subscribers to the MLS Season Pass service. This represented a 1,700% bump on the previous day and huge increases were also seen in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Europe. Lionel Messi is TIME's 2023 Athlete of the Year https://t.co/qPR75Hgt6f pic.twitter.com/EXqxl08lZN — TIME (@TIME) December 5, 2023 Messi’s arrival in MLS has undoubtedly sparked a fresh wave of interest in the sport in the US. FC Dallas president Dan Hunt spoke to TIME about the new im...