Former Super Eagles captain John Obi-Mikel believes Lionel Messi was deserving of The Best FIFA Men’s Player award over Erling Haaland.
Messi secured the accolade, prevailing over Haaland, who achieved a treble with Manchester City and scored 30 goals across all competitions during the evaluation period.
Despite the Norwegian’s remarkable performance, Messi emerged as the winner, sparking discussions on social media.
Mikel, who faced Messi in the 2005 Under-20 World Cup final, asserts that the Argentine captain did more to warrant the award than Haaland did during the assessed period.
Lionel Messi has set a record by becoming the player with the most FIFA Best Award wins and the first Major League Soccer (MLS) player to receive the special award.
Despite journalists predominantly voting for Erling Haaland, Messi secured the Best FIFA Men’s Player award for 2023.
Haaland led the vote among national team coaches, but Messi emerged victorious in the vote conducted by national team captains. The Argentine claimed the prize after earning the highest five-point score in the captain’s votes, breaking the tie with Haaland.
Earlier, Roberto Martinez, Portugal’s head coach, gained attention for his choice in the FIFA Best Awards, where he overlooked Cristiano Ronaldo.