Remember when Vinícius Jr. and his Real Madrid teammates skipped the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, citing an “unfair” result? Well that wasn’t the case when the Brazilian was present in Doha to pick up his FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year Award. Looking at the player votes, fans were amused when the three-time winner of the laureate, Lionel Messi did not have the Real Madrid forward in his top 2.

Messi, who finished sixth in the rankings, gave his first vote to FC Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal and placed his former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappé second. By placing Vinícius Jr. third, Messi sparked debate among fans on social media, with many questioning the Inter Miami star’s choices. While one side believed the rankings were fair, others argued that based on individual performances, Vinícius Jr. deserved the no.1 spot over the other two. 

The voting criteria for the FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year Award generally revolve around player performances and conduct on and off the pitch. Unlike the Ballon d’Or, where journalists vote for the best player, media representatives, national team coaches, and national team captains decide the FIFA award.

For Vinícius Jr, his 24 goals and 11 assists were key in Real Madrid winning the Champions League and La Liga during the 2023/24 campaign. This is the first time the Brazilian won an award and ranked higher than this year’s Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri. 

The results on the FIFA website reveal that Vinícius Jr. won with a landslide, earning over 1.1 million fan votes compared to Rodri’s 265,000. However, the Manchester City midfielder edged out the winger in terms of media points, securing 5 more. The captain votes were also made public, and once the world saw Lionel Messi’s top 3, it set off a chain reaction.

Lionel Messi’s three picks for FIFA Best Player Award divide fans and critics 

“Bro literally hates everything to do with Madrid,” said one user, which might be a bit of a stretch. However, given the rivalry he’s had with the Spanish giants during his time in La Liga, it’s not entirely surprising.

“Bro lost all ball knowledge in America,” wrote one user, referencing Lionel Messi’s 2023 move to Inter Miami and a league considered below European standards. Most of the comments either praised Messi for having 100% ball knowledge or called him out for having none at all.

“So flipping biased. Lamine Yamal is good, but he’s not even in the top 20 footballers in the world,” read one comment to which one user countered by highlighting the Spaniard’s impressive EURO 2024 campaign as a teenager. Another fan questions “Not sure why he voted for Mbappe?” as the French forward finished 9th on the rankings. Despite the individual votes, Vinícius Jr. couldn’t care less, as the trophy now rests in his cabinet.