From Kylian Mbappe, Fede Valverde to Luka Modric: All Players Who Voted for Lionel Messi to Win 2023 the Best FIFA Men’s Award

Published 01/15/2024, 10:38 PM EST

Lionel Messi has proved that lightning does strike twice in the same spot. Following his unprecedented 8th Ballon d’Or victory a few months ago, the Argentine has now won his third FIFA Best Men’s Player Award. As the soccer community buzzes with his incredible success, curiosity lingers around the influential names who voted for him. From Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid’s midfield duo of Fede Valverde and Luka Modric, here’s a list of La Pulga’s supporters and rivals who unexpectedly backed him to win the coveted award.

Aside from revered coaches and journalists, the face of Inter Miami had the unusual support of many other renowned names. For starters, the aforementioned PSG icon- Mbappe voted for Lionel Messi, along with his teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Liverpool trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Andy Robertson‘s names were also on the voter list. While the above names do not raise too much shock, here’s when a few rival names come to the limelight.

Los Blancos’ Fede Valverde and Luka Modric kept the soccer rivalry aside. On the other side of Madrid, Atletico goalie Jan Oblak jumped on the bandwagon. Meanwhile, at Lionel Messi’s former beloved club, Robert Lewandowski did the honors. England captain and Bayern Munich sniper Harry Kane, as well as Belgian star Romelu Lukaku, are on this list. Last but not least, the Swiss captain and Bayer Leverkusen’s veteran midfielder Granit Xhaka and Rayo Vallecano forward Radamel Falcao also backed the one and only Messi.

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All the above information is from FIFA’s official digital hub. Certainly, after hearing about the voters, Lionel Messi must be thankful to have received such heartwarming support. Given that, he was inch-close to losing this award to Erling Haaland.

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Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland had initially tied scores at FIFA The Best!

Notably, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi both finished with 48 points apiece. Yet, Messi won the award by a slim margin over the Manchester City star because he received more ‘first-place votes’ from the leaders of the national teams. Additionally, with 35 points overall, PSG’s Kylian Mbappe took third place.

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Likewise, the votes of national team coaches, captains, journalists, and fans were also crucial in determining the winner of the prestigious individual award. It seems fate wanted Lionel Messi to lift the award. Congratulations and celebrations are in order!

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I first kicked a soccer ball when I was 12. My early exposure to playing the sport earned me many accolades at the zonal and district levels. I still remember my first goal, where I scored a 90+5 minute header like Sergio Ramos did in the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.

Edited by:

Daniel D'Cruz

From Kylian Mbappe, Fede Valverde to Luka Modric: All Players Who Voted for Lionel Messi to Win 2023 the Best FIFA Men’s Award

Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland had initially tied scores at FIFA The Best!

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