Messi and Haaland had the same number of points in The Best FIFA Awards, decided by the national team captains

After the Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi also won The Best FIFA Football Awards for the best player of the past year, despite having the same number of points as Erling Haaland.

After the Ballon d’Or, he also won FIFA’s most prestigious individual award. He won it for the eighth time in his career, leaving behind City canon Erling Haaland and PSG star Kylian Mbappé. But the win was the closest possible.

At The Best FIFA Football Awards in London last night, FIFA handed out its awards for the 2023 football year. The most anticipated category was, of course, the one for the best male player of the past year, which was dominated by the ageless Lionel Messi.

Messi won by a whisker over Haaland, decided by the national team captains

The Argentine star’s victory was very close. Messi and Haaland both scored 48 points, while third-placed Kylian Mbappé scored 35 points. It was up to the FIFA clause, according to which the team captains decide.

“According to the award rules (article 12), Lionel Messi (Argentina) won the award based on the number of votes
cast by the captains of the men’s national teams,” read an official document on the FIFA website. The result was the closest in the history of the award.

How did the voting process work? Four factors determine the results. Fans, media representatives, national team coaches and captains cast their votes, and in the end it was Lionel Messi’s victory that was decisive.

As can be seen from the voting results, Messi was saved mainly by the votes of the fans. There were more of them than those for Haaland and Mbappé combined.

Source: FIFA