Lionel Messi voted for Sadio Mane as The Best player in the world and did NOT pick Virgil van Dijk in top three… while Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed rival and went for Matthijs de Ligt as No 1
- Lionel Messi also put Cristiano Ronaldo and Frenkie de Jong in his top three
- Ronaldo voted his Juventus team-mate Matthijs De Ligt as the best player
- Virgil van Dijk voted Messi as the best player with Mohamed Salah in second
- Harry Kane voted Messi as the best with Van Dijk and Ronaldo in his top three
Lionel Messi voted for Sadio Mane as the best player in the world and excluded fellow World Player of the Year nominee Virgil van Dijk from his top three.
The Barcelona superstar, who won the coveted trophy, put Cristiano Ronaldo and Frenkie de Jong as second and third respectively.
Ronaldo voted his Juventus team-mate Matthijs De Ligt as the best player over the course of last year and completely snubbed Messi from his top three.
Lionel Messi voted for Sadio Mane as the best player in the world and not Virgil van Dijk
De Jong and Kylian Mbappe made up Ronaldo’s top trio.
Virgil van Dijk, who came second on the night ahead of Ronaldo, voted Messi as the best player with Liverpool team-mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane second and third respectively.
Harry Kane voted Messi as number one with Van Dijk and Ronaldo coming in second and third.
England manager Gareth Southgate selected Messi as his number one with, Ronaldo and Van Dijk in second and third.
Van Dijk’s Liverpool team-mate Andy Robertson, who was not selected in the Team of the Year, chose Van Dijk, De Jong and Mane in his top three.
Van Dijk’s manager Jurgen Klopp, who was named FIFA’s Men’s Coach of the Year, heavily praised his defender despite missing out on the honour.
| Rank | Name | Rank points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 46 |
| 2 | Virgil van Dijk | 38 |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 36 |
| 4 | Mohamed Salah | 26 |
| 5 | Sadio Mane | 23 |
| 6 | Kylian Mbappe | 17 |
| 7 | Frenke de Jong | 16 |
| 8 | Eden Hazard | 16 |
| 9 | Matthijs De Ligt | 9 |
| 10 | Harry Kane | 5 |
Klopp told VVD: ‘You’re already a leader like Messi and Ronaldo.’
‘Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated this competition pretty much for ever.
‘They are good role models for young players in this way.
‘You cannot get to these heights if you are not this kind of player.
‘And it’s now the same for Virgil. The other guys know they have to give everything.
Klopp’s goalkeeper Alisson was in the Team of the Year alongside Van Dijk, but no other players from the European champions made the team.
Sergio Ramos, De Ligt, Marcelo, Luka Modric, De Jong, Eden Hazard, Mbappe, Messi and Ronaldo, who did not turn up to the awards night, made up the rest of the team.
England star Lucy Bronze was named in FIFA‘s Women’s World XI alongside Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan on Monday night.
Morgan and Rapinoe helped guide USA to World Cup glory in the summer.
Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United were awarded FIFA‘s Fair Play award for allowing Aston Villa to score in last season’s meeting between the two sides.
Virgil van Dijk, who came second on the night ahead of Ronaldo, voted Messi as the best
Bielsa’s side scored a controversial opening goal through Mateusz Klich at Elland Road in April, after Villa’s Jonathan Kodija went down with a head injury.
Immediately after scoring, Klich was confronted by Villa’s Jack Grealish and Tyrone Mings as both sets of players became embroiled in an on pitch brawl.
Villa’s Anwar El-Ghazi was sent off for apparently hitting out at Leeds striker Patrick Bamford during the scuffle, though no contact was made with the player.
After acknowledging the protests of Villa’s players and staff, the Chilean ordered his side to let the Midlands club score, with Albert Adomah passing the ball into an empty net unopposed as the game ended 1-1.
Ronaldo voted his Juventus team-mate Matthijs De Ligt as the best player over the last year
