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Real Madrid fans would have been surprised to find some of Los Blancos' favourites choosing a Barcelona legend as their pick for FIFA The Best awards
Lionel Messi's win of the FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year award in 2024 was significantly influenced by the votes of Real Madrid stars Luka Modric and Federico Valverde.
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11:58 - 16.01.2024
FIFA Best: Why Messi’s latest honour shows that individual awards are just popularity contests
Messi was named FIFA Best Player of the Year for 2023, much to the annoyance of many football fans across the globe.
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13:12 - 16.01.2024
3 reasons why undeserving Messi was handed FIFA The Best Men’s Player of the Year award
Lionel Messi has won arguably the most contestable award in football history, here is why it happened
Both players, in their roles as national team captains, cast their votes in favour of Messi.
Real Madrid stars anger fans with Messi vote
This decision was not well-received by the Real Madrid fanbase, leading to criticism of Modric and Valverde.
Messi's victory in the award was primarily influenced by the votes of national team coaches, captains, and media representatives, where each voter selects three players who are then awarded points based on their position in the voter's list.
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This award was a subject of intense interest, especially in terms of the votes cast by football captains for the top spot. Several high-profile players chose Messi as their first choice. Including Modric, who voted for Messi, Rodri, Marcelo Brozovic, and Valverde, who voted for Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland.
The Real Madrid stars were not alone in voting for Lionel Messi, as Premier League stars also heavily backed the Argentine maestro against one of their own.
Other captains who voted Messi as Player of the Year
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who is also Egypt’s captain, placed Messi first, with De Bruyne and Haaland as his next choices.
Virgil Van Dijk in his capacity as Netherlands’ captain also chose Messi, Haaland, and De Bruyne, while Scotland captain Andy Robertson voted in the same pattern.
Messi’s ex-Paris Saint Germain teammates Kylian Mbappe and Gianluigi Donarumma also picked him first, helping the cause for his third FIFA The Best Men’s Player of the Year award.
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