After a historic season, Lionel Messi has been named the Best Men’s Player, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski as the only players to win the award twice.
The playmaker from Argentina and Paris St. Germain won the coveted award for a record-extending seventh time. He defeated Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema in the final.
The award, which recognises the top male performer, was chosen by national team coaches, captains, eminent journalists, and fans from all over the world. FIFA reports that Messi received 52 points, Mbappe came in second with 44 points, and Karim Benzema of France and Real Madrid received 34 points.
Considering the long-standing sporting rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the Iberian country was least expected to throw their weight behind the Argentine genius. How did Portugal vote? Sports Brief takes a look at how Portugal voted, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo failing to make the final shortlist.
Martínez, stepped down from his role as Belgium manager after their World Cup group stage exit, but received appointment as Portugal’s new boss after the Mundial. Hence the onus fell on him to vote for the Best Men’s footballer for 2022 at the gala held in Paris, France.
The 49-year-old interestingly threw away the rivalry between Ronaldo, perhaps Portugal’s greatest footballer in history and Leo Messi away to vote for the PSG playmaker.
Pepe – Portugal captain Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira, simply known as Pepe, was the players’ delegate to choose for Portugal.
Acting as Ronaldo’s deputy, Pepe naturally omitted Leo Messi from his preferred choice of winners. Instead, selecting Messi’s clubmate Kylian Mbappe, former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric and current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema in that order.
Pepe, aged 40, is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his generation and is still performing at FC Porto.
Vítor Hugo dos Santos Serpa – expert journalist
The revered Portuguese sports journalist had the singular honour to cast his vote on behalf of the country’s media.
Vítor, just like Roberto Martinez, did not cast his votes based on patriotism or affection for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Who did Messi vote for?
In a related article, Sports Brief reported that Lionel Messi voted for Neymar Junior ahead of Kylian Mbappe to win the Best FIFA Men’s Player Award.
Messi was announced as the winner on Monday for the second time, coming in ahead of his PSG teammate Mbappe and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema.
According to FIFA, the Argentine genius did not vote for any of his international teammates to win the award.