Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi took the award for The Best FIFA Men’s Player. Now, it has revealed who Virgil van Dijk voted for with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah only in 14th.
Messi won the coveted gong on Monday after he led Argentina to victory at the World Cup in Qatar. The 35-year-old beat France forwards Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema to take his second title. It is further a record seventh FIFA men’s player of the year title in 14 years.
As cited by Fabrizio Romano, Messi won FIFA’s ‘The Best’ award with 52 points to edge out Mbappe (44) and Benzema (34). He had scored in every round at the World Cup to also lift the Golden Ball. Whilst at club level, he helped PSG lift the Ligue 1 title in his debut season.
Luka Modric (28), Erling Haaland (24), Sadio Mane (19), Julian Alvarez (17), Achraf Hakimi (15), Neymar (13), Kevin De Bruyne and Vinicius Jr (10) completed the top 10 in the voting. Robert Lewandowski (7), Jude Bellingham (3) and Mohamed Salah (2) also received votes.
FIFA picks the winner of its ‘The Best’ award on votes by international team captains, their managers and designated media officials from all nations. It further revealed each voting individual’s selections following the ceremony this Monday with each naming a top three.
Van Dijk was one of just four players to vote for Salah in FIFA The Best award
Liverpool defender Van Dijk as captain of the Netherlands named Messi ahead of his club teammate, Salah, plus De Bruyne. He was one of just four players to include Salah in their top threes. Fellow Reds star Andrew Robertson only listed the forward as his third choice.
Robertson named Messi and Mbappe ahead of Salah as captain of Scotland. While Benoit Marie as captain of Seychelles picked Mane, Salah and Messi as his top three. Togo skipper Dakonam Ortega Djene also picked Mane and Benzema ahead of Salah as his best players.
Salah, meanwhile, chose Vinicius Jr as his top-performing male player for 2022. He also did not include Messi or Mbappe in his top three at all. Instead, the Egypt captain included De Bruyne and Hakimi. No international captain included Van Dijk within their top three picks.
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