Forward of Inter Miami and the national team of Argentina Lionel Messi and forward of Al-Nassr and the Portuguese national team Cristiano Ronaldo were not in the top ten athletes who were searched by Google in 2023.
American football player Damar Hamlin, a defensive lineman for the NFL club Buffalo Bills, took first place in the search engine's queries. Striker of Paris Saint-Germain and the national team of France Kylian Mbappe is second, and Travis Kelce of NFL club Kansas City Chiefs rounds out the top three. Bayern Munich forward and the England national team Harry Kane (fifth position) is also among the top ten footballers.
Note that the most popular sports team in Google queries was Messi's current team Inter Miami, and Ronaldo's Al-Nassr took third place. On December 12, it was reported that the clubs of the two legends may play each other at a friendly tournament in Saudi Arabia, which will be held in February 2024.