“Don’t Think There’s a Debate Between the Footballer or the Coach” – Lionel Scaloni on Criticisms Over Lionel Messi’s FIFA The Best Win

The FIFA ‘The Best’ verdict raised a lot of eyebrows. Lionel Messi was crowned the winner despite not having the best statistics. His triumph over the likes of Erling Haaland & Kylian Mbappe was criticized by many, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently questioned the credibility of these awards. However, Argentina’s head coach Lionel Scaloni has jumped to Messi’s defense from an unfazed stance, claiming that there is nothing to dispute!

Last year, Lionel Messi secured the same title courtesy of his role in winning the FIFA World Cup. This time around, the favorite was Manchester City’s Haaland due to his club’s treble victory and his 50 goals in 2023. As a result, there was a big outroar when Messi was declared the winner, but Scaloni seems to have had enough of the chatter.

The ‘strange’ noise around Lionel Messi and his ‘FIFA The Best’ title is ‘media stuff’, as per Scaloni

Scaloni recently addressed the discussion concerning the FIFA ‘The Best’ result in an interview with Marca. He said, “I think the debate goes beyond football, I don’t think there is a debate between the footballer or the coach as to why he won it.” As per Scaloni, it’s the journalists who are responsible for blowing up this story. He explained, “It’s media stuff. Debating why Messi won it when football people vote is strange.” The votes were from National Team captains, coaches, and premier journalists.

Moreover, Scaloni also added, “If Haaland or Mbappe had won it, it would have been fine too.” Is Scaloni suggesting that Haaland & Mbappe were worthy of the award as well? A big talking point regarding Lionel Messi’s triumph was that he mostly played in the MLS. That league is widely considered less competitive than the European leagues where Haaland & Mbappe played. However, even in the half-season he played, Lionel Messi made his mark by helping Inter Miami win the Leagues Cup, their first-ever title!

While Lionel Scaloni doesn’t seem to understand the debate regarding the FIFA award, CR7 went one step further. As per him, these awards don’t make sense at all!

‘Numbers don’t deceive’, Cristiano Ronaldo takes a dig at the FIFA Best

Despite finishing 2023 as the IFFHS Best Goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo did not even find himself nominated for the FIFA prize. Yet, it doesn’t seem to bother him much as per his recent comments. The Portuguese star said, “I simply no longer believe in these awards. But the numbers are there and the numbers don’t deceive. You’ve to consider the entire season. The numbers are facts.”

Read More: “Ballon d’Or & FIFA The BEST Award Are Losing Credibility” – Cristiano Ronaldo Fires Shots at Lionel Messi

It seems Ronaldo prefers an award that doesn’t depend on subjectivity & voting. Ronaldo further added that he didn’t even watch the awards while saying, “I know how these organizations work.” Contrary to many, CR7 doesn’t seem surprised by Lionel Messi’s win at all.

Was Lionel Messi deserving of ‘The Best’ award? Tell us in the comments below.

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