Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated particular person awards throughout this technology and we’ve determined to have a look at who Messi voted for throughout the previous six years in FIFA’s Greatest Participant award.
To permit the gamers a selection for an award, quite than only one journalist from the highest FIFA 100 international locations, the France Soccer prize was merged with FIFA to carry us the FIFA’s Greatest Participant award.
With that in thoughts, listed below are the 9 gamers Messi voted for from 2016-2022.
Luis Suarez
Having beforehand voted for him within the years prior for the Ballon d’Or, he opted to vote for his teammate and shut buddy in consecutive years in 2016 and 2017 – when he was within the remaining two years of his true peak.
He lifted La Liga within the 2015-16 season, the Spanish Tremendous Cup and the Spanish Cup throughout this spell, with 95 objectives in all competitions coming from 2015-17.
He completed outdoors the highest three on each events however was included within the World XI in 2016.
Neymar
A teammate in 2016 and 2017 – earlier than his transfer to PSG in the summertime of 2017, Neymar was in and round his peak throughout this time and was nonetheless a deadly accomplice with Messi and Suarez in assault.
He additionally scored two objectives and produced the help to beat PSG within the well-known 6-1 Champions League recreation throughout this spell too. Messi voted for him in 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
He completed third in 2018 and wasn’t voted for once more till 2o2o, the place he was then chosen for the next two years as effectively.
Nonetheless, he failed to chop into the highest three after the emergence of Kylian Mbappe and others.
READ MORE: All hail Neymar’s return: He’s again pulling off outrageous rainbow flicks like he by no means left
Andres Iniesta
Having beforehand recieved Messi’s Ballon d’Or votes, Iniesta was at all times going to characteristic.
He voted for him within the first two years (2016 and 2017) however his significance to the aspect had wavered, as he was ageing and began fewer video games.
His peak got here loads earlier, particularly across the 2010s when he helped dominate with membership and nation, particularly with Spain round these peak years.
Luka Modric
That includes in Messi’s votes in 2018, it was clear that the Croatian was set to win the award having been tipped to win the Ballon d’Or earlier than successful this.
He had gained the Golden Ball on the World Cup as Croatia reached the ultimate and gained the Champions League with Actual Madrid.
A shocking midfielder, Modric peaked on this season, showcasing a implausible, elegant type of play the place he dominated the ball, affected video games and gained a number of honours.
And he was a deserved winner forward of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah in 2018.
Kylian Mbappe
The emergence of the Frenchman took the soccer world by storm and he eyed the massive awards early on in his profession.
Nonetheless, regardless of successful the World Cup in 2018, he didn’t characteristic within the high three till 2022.
Messi voted for him in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022 however, as talked about, he featured second behind Messi in 2022 after his World Cup win over him within the remaining, regardless of his hat trick.
Earlier than then that includes third behind Erling Haaland and Messi in 2023.
Sadio Mane
With Liverpool successful the Champions League in 2019 and reaching 98 factors within the Premier League solely to complete second, Mane was one in every of Liverpool’s most electrical performers, scoring objectives, creating objectives and beating gamers at will.
It was little doubt his greatest private season when it comes to high quality, as he gained the African Participant of the Yr, reached the ultimate with Senegal within the Africa Cup of Nations, shared the Premier League Golden Boot and was within the UEFA Crew of the Yr – and Messi voted for him in 2019 solely.
Cristiano Ronaldo
His huge rival throughout a decade for awards, Ronaldo featured because the winner forward of Messi in each 2016 and 2017 earlier than that includes because the runner-up to Modric in 2018.
After that got here a second and third-placed end in 2019 and 2020 that are set to be his remaining nominations.
Messi solely voted for him in 2019 when he got here third when he was at Juventus, nonetheless recurrently scoring objectives on the high stage.
After that adopted an emotional to Manchester United which was personally profitable for a spell, netting 18 objectives in a stuttering aspect in his mid-30s.
Ronaldo then left to affix the Saudi Arabian revolution which primarily dominated him out of being near successful any sort of world award.
READ MORE: 8 former Cristiano Ronaldo team-mates we will’t imagine are nonetheless taking part in in 2025
Frenkie De Jong
Having been a key determine in Ajax’s unbelievable rise and run to the Champions League semi-finals, De Jong was some of the adored figures in that sensible aspect because the midfield metronome – and he regarded like the subsequent huge soccer celebrity.
He was the Eredivisie Footballer of the Yr and made the UEFA Crew of the Yr and FIFA World XI.
Messi clearly revered this and voted for him in 2019 and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than he secured a transfer to play alongside him at Barcelona, however it hasn’t all been plain crusing over time, regardless of the very fact his type fits the Barca method.
Robert Lewandowski
The Polish striker was constantly netting top-class numbers throughout all of those years however hit his peak in 2020 and 2021 – which is when Messi voted for him as he took residence each awards forward of Ronaldo and Messi in consecutive years.
Nonetheless, the 2020 and 2021 awards have been symbolic of the very fact he ought to have gained the Ballon d’Or that 12 months – it was scrapped as a result of COVID-19 pandemic however Messi later mentioned that he deserved to win it after he picked up the 2021 award.
Nonetheless, he solely voted for him in 2021.
Karim Benzema
Lastly, Messi voted for Madrid’s Benzema in each 2021 and 2022, when the Frenchman hit his peak within the years after his partnership with Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
In 2022, he captured the Ballon d’Or after an unbelievable 40+-goal season that included 15 objectives within the Champions League, a La Liga triumph and a Spanish Cup victory however he completed in third, surprisingly, behind Mbappe and Messi.
