Lionel Messi’s votes for this year’s The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award could be a surprise.

At the end of the year, the best players and coaches in football were honored with the Best FIFA Football Awards 2024. Vinícius Júnior and Aitana Bonmatí took home the biggest prizes of the night as winners of The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s Player awards. In addition to fans and media representatives, the current captains and coaches of all national teams were also able to vote for the recipient of the prestigious award.

After the ceremony concluded, FIFA announced the full vote, revealing the three players that every captain, coach and media representative had voted as the best players in the world. While Vinícius Júnior and Rodri received the most votes among men, some voters chose to cast their votes for other players.

Lionel Messi, for example, did not give his vote for first place to either the Real Madrid player or the Manchester City player. In fact, the Argentina captain didn’t vote for Rodri at all.

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Messi voted for it Lamine Jamal named the best player in the world for the Best FIFA Football Awards 2024. Not only do the two share a Barcelona connection, but they have also drawn many comparisons for their style of play and their undeniable ability with the ball at their feet. Yamal’s summer breakthrough for Spain at Euro 2024 was clearly enough to secure the first-place vote from one of the greatest players of all time.

Messi voted for it next Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman scored 52 goals for club and country last season and won the 2024 Gerd Müller Trophy. Mbappé and Messi were teammates at Paris Saint-Germain and won two Ligue 1 titles together. The two also met in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, which ended with Albiceleste winning the trophy in Qatar.

The Argentine cast his last vote for it Vinicius Junior. The 24-year-old broke Messi’s long-standing record when he scored in his second Champions League final in May, becoming the youngest player in history to score in two UCL finals. The two players may be from different generations, but they will always be rivals at the club.

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