The Best FIFA Awards: Who supported whom? Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe endorse Lionel Messi, while Pepe overlooks the Argentine superstar.

“It has been an absolute honour,” exclaimed Pep Guardiola as he paid tribute to his players after clinching the FIFA Best Men’s Coach award. The prestigious accolade was awarded to Lionel Messi, who narrowly edged out Erling Haaland in a thrilling contest.

The voting process involved national team players and captains, journalists, and fans on FIFA’s website, with each group accounting for 25% of the final decision. FIFA has now released the complete list of voters and their choices.

For the second year running, Messi emerged victorious in the men’s category, while Aitana Bonmati of Spain and Barcelona claimed the women’s prize. The race for the men’s award was incredibly close, with Messi securing more first-place nominations from national team captains than Haaland, ultimately leading to his triumph at the ceremony in London.

Interestingly, Messi’s triumph came despite the fact that the voting period did not include Argentina’s successful campaign in the 2022 World Cup. This marks Messi’s third time winning the award, and his choices for the top three were Haaland, his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe, and compatriot and Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez.

Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo was absent from the Men’s Best XI and did not cast a vote. Instead, his Portugal teammate Pepe took on the responsibility. Surprisingly, Pepe did not include Messi in his top three choices, opting for Bernardo Silva, Haaland, and Victor Osimhen.

England manager Gareth Southgate also left Messi out of his top three, instead selecting a trio of Manchester City players in Haaland, Rodri, and Silva. However, Harry Kane, the World Cup winner, placed Messi at the top of his list.

In other notable votes, Casemiro chose Haaland, Messi, and Mbappe, Son Heung-min went for Messi, Haaland, and Mbappe, Virgil van Dijk selected Messi, Haaland, and Kevin De Bruyne, Robert Lewandowski opted for Messi, Ilkay Gundogan, and Haaland, Andrew Robertson voted for Messi, Haaland, and Mbappe, and Victor Lindelof chose Haaland, Messi, and Bernardo Silva. Roberto Martinez, on the other hand, went for Marcelo Brozovic, Bernardo Silva, and Messi.

The complete list of voters and their choices can be found here.