The notable votes at the FIFA The Best 2023 awards ceremony have been revealed.
In 2023, Messi didn’t leave a significant mark. The Argentine superstar couldn’t lead PSG deep in the Champions League, not to mention his move to Major League Soccer (MLS) from Europe. However, Messi still emerged victorious in the FIFA The Best 2023 vote.
Messi surprisingly honored at FIFA The Best 2023.
Messi tied in votes with Haaland (both with 48 points), but surpassed the Manchester City star due to receiving more votes from national team captains (13 compared to 11). Interestingly, Messi himself still favored Haaland in this voting.
Specifically, Messi, as the captain of the Argentine national team, gave Haaland the highest score (5 points), ranked Mbappe second (3 points), and Alvarez third (1 point). This clearly indicates Messi’s high regard for Haaland’s performances in 2023.
The third-place finisher in the FIFA The Best 2023 race, Mbappe, had a different choice. The French forward gave Messi the highest score, while Haaland and De Bruyne ranked second and third, respectively.
Meanwhile, in the voting by national team head coaches, it was not surprising that Coach Lionel Scaloni ranked Messi as the top choice. Notably, he overlooked Haaland in the top three positions.
Ronaldo did not participate in the FIFA The Best 2023 voting. Instead, Pepe took on that role. Pepe did not rank Messi in the top three positions, choosing Bernardo Silva, Haaland, and Osimhen in order.
Messi won over Haaland due to having more votes in the category of national team captains’ selections.
Instead of participating in the FIFA The Best 2023 vote, Ronaldo posted a picture on his personal social media with a caption implying: “Back for more.” It seems CR7 is subtly expressing his desire to win FIFA The Best once again.
Ronaldo is not included in the nominations for FIFA The Best 2023. However, he will have the opportunity to compete for FIFA The Best 2024 if he performs exceptionally well in EURO 2024.
Currently, Messi has surpassed Ronaldo to become the player with the most FIFA The Best awards in the history of world football. He has been honored three times, one more than CR7.
