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Who Lionel Messi Voted for in The Best FIFA Awards 2024
Lionel Messi's votes for this year's The Best FIFA Men's Player Award might come as a surprise.
The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 honored the top players and coaches in soccer to close out the year. Vinícius Júnior and Aitana Bonmatí took home the biggest prizes of the night as the winners of The Best FIFA Men's and Women's Player Awards. Along with fans and media representatives, current captains and coaches of every national team got to vote for the recipient of the prestigious award.
FIFA revealed the full voting breakdown after the ceremony concluded, unveiling the three players each captain, coach and media representative voted for as the best players in the world. While Vinícius Júnior and Rodri received the most votes on the men's side, some voters opted to cast their ballots for different players.
Lionel Messi, for instance, did not give his first place vote to either the Real Madrid or Manchester City man. In fact, the Argentina captain did not vote for Rodri at all.
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Who Lionel Messi Voted for in The Best FIFA Awards 2024
Messi voted for Lamine Yamal as the best player in the world for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024. The two not only share a Barcelona connection, but they have also drawn plenty of comparisons for their play style and undeniable skill with the ball at their feet. Yamal's breakout summer for Spain at Euro 2024 was clearly enough to earn himself a first place vote from one of the greatest players of all time.
Next, Messi voted for Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman bagged 52 goals for club and country last season and took home the 2024 Gerd Müller Trophy. Mbappé and Messi were teammates at Paris Saint-Germain and won two Ligue 1 titles together. The two also famously clashed in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final that ended with La Albiceleste hoisting the trophy in Qatar.
The Argentine casted his final vote for Vinícius Júnior. The 24-year-old broke Messi's longstanding record when he scored in his second Champions League final back in May, becoming the youngest player in history to score in two UCL finals. The two players might be from different generations, but they will always be club rivals.
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Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer covering the European game and international competitions.