Best FIFA Men’s Player Award: Who did Messi vote for?

Karan Tejwani

• 28 Feb 2023 08:45 GMT
• 3 min read

Lionel Messi was named The Best at FIFA’s award show last night, making it the second time he had won the award, following on from his 2019 success.

This came after a glorious 2022 which he capped off by winning the World Cup with Argentina, in a tournament where he scored seven goals.

He also won the Golden Ball award, given to the best player of the tournament, making it the second time he had done that after his 2014 win.

READ: Lionel Messi wins Best FIFA Men’s Player Award, Scaloni named best coach

But, as Argentina captain, he also has the right to vote for who he would like to see win the award and his picks were interesting.

Messi picks Neymar

The Best awards, organised by FIFA, gives national team captains and coaches the opportunity to vote who they think should win respective awards.

This is in contrast to the Ballon d’Or, where only journalists and members of the media are given the right to vote.

READ: FIFPro Best XI: Messi, Mbappe and Haaland named in top team of 2022

Messi stayed loyal to his friends and team-mates in his voting picks - he opted for Neymar, his close friend from their time together at Barcelona, as his first choice, giving the Brazil star five points in his bid.

His current PSG team-mate and beaten World Cup finalist Kylian Mbappe was his second pick, giving him three points in the race for the award.

In third place, earning one point, was the Ballon d’Or winning Karim Benzema, who had a sensational year with Real Madrid, winning the Champions League and La Liga, but he missed out on the World Cup due to injury.

Messi previously stated that Benzema deserved his Ballon d’Or win and he was the best player in the world after a brilliant 2021-22 season, but the Argentine legend pipped him to the award.

Both Messi and Mbappe will be frontrunners to win the award again next year and are likely to fight it out for the Ballon d’Or as well in 2023.