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'Aur kitna jitega'- Fans react as Lionel Messi wins ESPY award for Best Championship Performance

Lionel Messi earned a brace at the ESPYs for his performance with Argentina that led them to World Cup victory against France in Qatar.

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Daniel S
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Lionel Messi

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The Excellence in Sports Performance and Achievements Award (ESPY) is awarded yearly to the finest athletes from various sports throughout the world. The ESPYS 2023 was hosted in Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre. The famed award event was attended by world-class sportsmen such as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Patrick Maholmes, Tobin Heath, and Jamal Murray.

Lionel Messi earned a brace at the ESPYs, much as he did in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final when the Argentine received the 'Best Soccer Player' and 'Best Championship Performance' accolades for his performance with Argentina that led them to World Cup victory against France in Qatar. The Argentine superstar beat Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Barcelona women's Aitana Bonmati.

What is the ESPYS award?

Every year, the ESPYs present the Best International Athlete ESPY Award to recognize and honour a sportsperson who is recognised as the best or most extraordinary among people born outside the United States or without US citizenship and who competes in a significant international sport during a specific calendar year.

Since 2006, the ESPY Award for Best International Athlete has been given. It was separated into separate divisions for men and female athletes from 2008 to 2009. In 2012, it was reinstated as a united prize. This renowned award has been given to notable sports figures over the years.

Tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are among the recipients, as are athletic phenom Usain Bolt and MLB standout Albert Pujols. Lionel Messi's recent ESPYS 2023 victories are not his first at the award event. When he was at Barcelona, he was named the Best International Men's Player in 2019.

The honour was given to the Argentine at the time for his efforts with his club and the national team that year. He won the La Liga Golden Boot after scoring 36 goals in 34 games and guiding the Catalan club to the top flight of Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated, winning a total of seven times between them.

Ronaldo now maintains the record with four trophies, while Kylian Mbappe is the only other soccer player to have received the award in 2022. The French superstar was honoured for his outstanding exploits for PSG and the France national team.

Here's how fans reacted

 

Lionel Messi