Soccer world champion Lionel Messi, his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappé, skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin, Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes, tennis world number one Iga Swiatek and basketball player Brittney Griner are among the 100 most influential people of 2023 by the US magazine “Time “.
Messi and Mahomes are listed in the “Titans” category. The Argentine led his team to their third title at the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year. Mahomes, meanwhile, was the key man in the Kansas Chiefs’ National Football League triumph in February.
Shiffrin in the Pioneers category
Ski star Shiffrin appears in the Pioneers category. “I can’t put into words what an honor it is to be on Time’s 100 Most Influential People list. But I would be remiss if I didn’t pay tribute to everyone around me who made this possible,” the 28-year-old wrote on Instagram. The exceptional American athlete celebrated her 88th World Cup victory this season, overtaking Sweden’s icon Ingemar Stenmark (86).
Mbappé and Swiatek were listed among the “Innovators”. The football star narrowly missed out on his second World Cup title with France in the World Cup final against Argentina, but is still one of the great figureheads of his sport. Swiatek, who won the French and US Opens last year, has also made herself heard by supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia.
Meanwhile, Griner appears in the “Icons”. In early February 2022, the basketball player was arrested at a Moscow airport and later sentenced to nine years in prison for illegal drug possession and attempted smuggling. She was released in early December as part of a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor But.
