Thus, Nati captain Xhaka and coach Yakin agreed

For the seventh time, Lionel Messi won the FIFA award as the best player of a calendar year. The Argentinian (52 points, maximum number of points, see box below) is eight points ahead of teammate Kylian Mbappé (24). In total, the PSG superstar received 401 out of 588 votes.

Thanks also to Granit Xhaka (30) and Murat Yakin. The captain and coach of the Swiss national team also voted for the magic flea. While Arsenal professional Luka Modric (37) and Mbappé placed two top players in second and third place, the 48-year-old Nati coach surprised a bit by choosing his third place.

He opts for Julian Alvarez (23). The Argentinian mainly trumped at the World Cup and scored four of his seven international goals in Qatar. Second place in Yakin’s ranking goes to Mbappé.

Ronaldo hacked off as captain?

What is also striking: Cristiano Ronaldo (38), captain of the Portuguese national team, did not vote. Instead, Pepe (40) was allowed to make the choice and placed Mbappé, Modric and Karim Benzema (35) on the podium.

The reason why Messi’s great rival did not vote is not known. The logical explanation would be that the striker is in fact no longer the captain of the 2016 European champions. However, there has never been an official announcement.

Lewy with just one vote

Messi, Mbappé and Benzema are most often elected first. Numerous players were voted to the top position only sporadically. These include Jude Bellingham (BVB), Neymar (PSG) and Mo Salah (Liverpool, three times each). Robert Lewandowski (34), who moved to Barça in the summer, was chosen only by Costa Rica coach Luis Suarez.

The world player himself, who was not allowed to vote for himself, named teammate Neymar as the favourite. Behind him he placed Mbappé, third place went to Benzema. (che)

You can find the full list of all voices here.

Source : Blick