Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi ended 2022 with a bang as the 35-year-old lifted the FIFA World Cup last December. As 2023 reaches the midway point, the Argentine has reached an impressive list.
TIME Magazine (h/t Ole) has placed Messi alongside today’s top 100 most prominent business people, politicians and artists. The PSG star was included in the “Titans” category, as he earned this position because of his demonstrated validity.
However, the nomination from TIME wasn’t enough as Roger Federer also had high praise for the player, who recalled what he saw in Argentina after Messi delivered a World Cup.
“The millions of fans pouring out onto the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate was an incredible moment in sport, witnessed around the world,” Federer told TIME. “Even those who don’t follow soccer must have realized the true impact of the world’s most popular game.”
Below are some of the names in the “Titans” category for TIME that is joining Messi:
- Elon Musk (businessman)
- Beyonce (singer)
- Ozlem Tureci and Ugur Sahin (the creators of the Pfizer vaccine)
- Patrick Mahomes (NFL player)
- Shou Zi Chew (CEO of TikTok)
- Laurene Powell (businesswoman and widow of Steve Jobs)
- Johan Rockstrom (Swedish scientist)
- Gina Prince-Bythewood (American director)
- Karen Lych (CVS Health CEO)
- Deborah Lipstadt (American historian)
- Angela Bassett (American actress)
- Padma Lakshmi (Indian television host)
