Despite being snubbed for the Ballon d’Or in 2024, Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. managed to take home the top prize at its sister awards, The Best FIFA Awards.
At a ceremony held on December 17 in Doha, Qatar, just a day prior to Real Madrid’s appearance in the brand new Intercontinental Cup final against Mexican side Pachuca, the Brazilian was honored as the Best Men’s Player in the world for the 2024 year alongside many of other men’s and women’s superstars from around the globe.
To determine the winners, voters were tasked with submitting a top-three for each category of Best Men’s Player, Best Men’s Goalkeeper, and Best Men’s Coach. A first-place vote garnered five points, second-place was awarded three points, and third-place given one point.
Voters included national team head coaches and captains and selected members of the media, with some awards also including a fan vote.
Former Best Men’s Player winner Lionel Messi was amongst the group, and The Sporting News reveals how he cast his votes for the 2024 The Best FIFA Awards, including Best Men’s Player.
MORE: See all the winners of every The Best FIFA award throughout history
Who did Lionel Messi vote for at 2024 The Best FIFA Awards?
As captain of the Argentina national team, Lionel Messi was given one vote at the 2024 The Best FIFA awards for every men’s category.
According to FIFA’s official release of every vote from the 2024 The Best awards, Lionel Messi cast his No. 1 vote for Best Men’s player to current Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal. The former Barcelona superstar couldn’t bring himself to put a Real Madrid player first, instead giving the nod to the most outstanding player at Camp Nou in 2024.
Behind the 17-year-old starlet, Messi voted for his former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe second, and eventual winner Vinicius Jr. third.
The voting breakdown is a clear nod to Messi’s loyalty, putting his allegiances above the actual worthiness of the award. While Lamine Yamal had a brilliant 2024, he finished fifth on the final The Best list and eighth on the Ballon d’Or voting list, indicating that his season did not quite stack up to the expectations of the winner.
Additionally, Mbappe had a mediocre season compared to his own world-class expectations, finishing 2024 poorly with PSG and garnering criticism for his slow start to life at Real Madrid. This is reflected in the France international’s final standing of ninth in The Best voting list and sixth on the Ballon d’Or ticker.
This is the case in his votes for other categories too. For example, he did not include Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, the eventual winner, in his top three for Best Men’s Coach, instead giving the nod to his current Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni, former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, and current Spain boss Luis de la Fuente.
Every vote by Lionel Messi at 2024 The Best FIFA Awards
Did Cristiano Ronaldo vote for 2024 The Best FIFA awards?
Cristiano Ronaldo was not given a vote at the 2024 The Best FIFA awards.
This is because Ronaldo is no longer the captain of the Portugal national team. Instead, that task was given to Bernardo Silva.
Unsurprisingly, Silva voted for his Manchester City teammate and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for Best Men’s player, rounding out his top three with Vinicius Jr. second and Erling Haaland, another Man City teammate, third.
Silva also voted his Man City teammate Ederson for Best Men’s Goalkeeper, putting eventual winner Emi Martinez second. Interestingly, however, he voted for his current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola third for Best Men’s Coach, ranking Carlo Ancelotti first and Xabi Alonso second.