Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi
By Miftaudeen Raji
The annual Time 100 list, which honors the most influential people of the year, featured PSG stars, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé as athletes whose contributions far exceed their star status on the field of play.
On Thursday, Time magazine published its list for 2023, which included the Argentinian soccer icon and French soccer star alongside Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner, World Tennis Association No. 1 women’s player Iga Świątek, and women’s alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Kylian Mbappé
Arguably the fastest soccer player in the world and, at 24, Mbappé is only getting better.
He has been on the cusp of FIFA and soccer’s most prized individual awards, though he established himself as one of the most dangerous players in the sport after a dominant showing in the 2022 World Cup, in which he scored half of France’s 16 goals.
The France forward celebrates after scoring a goal against Argentina in extra time.
In fact, in the final – an eventual loss to Argentina – Mbappé scored twice in a 90-second span to keep France in the match, and finished with a hat trick.
His eight goals in the 2022 World Cup were the most in a single World Cup since Brazilian star Ronaldo in 2002. Mbappé is tied with Pele with 12 World Cup goals overall, and he needs only four more to match Miroslav Klose’s record.
With his age, though, it’s within reason that Mbappé might have up to three more World Cups in his career. And with his dominant final, Mbappé showed that he’s a player who can take over a game, even on the biggest stage.
Walt called Mbappé “a living rags-to-riches fairy tale” and wrote, “Despite his incredible celebrity, Mbappé has three home truths from his mom that keep him grounded: ‘Respect, humility, lucidity.’”
Lionel Messi
Messi crowned his illustrious career in December, when the long-time captain of the Argentinian men’s soccer team won his first career World Cup.
He also won the tournament’s Golden Ball, given to the World Cup’s best player. He can add that to seven Ballon d’Or trophies — given to the best player in the world for that calendar year — four Champions League titles and more than 100 goals scored while representing Argentina.
Argentina players carry Lionel Messi on their shoulders after winning the 2022 World Cup final against France at Lusail Stadium.
Messi’s sheer wizardry with the ball near his feet ushered in a style of playmaking that those who have come in subsequent waves have tried to emulate, and not only in Argentina.
Though, arguably, no sports star has become a bigger draw in their home country than Messi, who was recently serenaded outside a Buenos Aires steakhouse when social media reports circulated that he was dining there. Even at 35, Messi continues to be a draw and might be the most recognizable athlete in the world.
Federer shared his respect for Messi, writing: “My career has just come to an end. I now realize how much weight we athletes carry. But in our daily lives, we don’t even realize it.
“For a football player like Messi, that weight likely feels more massive, as he represents both a world-renowned club and a very passionate country. … Even those who don’t follow football must have realized the true impact of the world’s most popular game.”
