FIFA’s decision to continue nominating Lionel Messi for The Best 2024 has caused a lot of controversy around the world.
Specifically, FIFA has announced a list of 11 players nominated for The Best 2024 award, including: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Dani Carvajal, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and former players Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Erling Haaland (Man City) and Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen.
Before the above list, fans thought that Messi’s achievements at Inter Miami were not convincing enough to be on par with other stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah or Harry Kane.
However, FIFA has its own explanations. Accordingly, Messi still maintains great influence at both the team and national team levels. The achievements of helping Inter Miami win the 2024 Supporters’ Shield and important contributions to the Argentina team are factors for Messi to be considered for the above award.
FIFA also emphasized that the evaluation period for The Best 2024 award only counts up to August 10. During this period, Messi has had 23 goals and 13 assists, an impressive number. Notably, this contribution also helped Inter Miami win the 2024 Supporters’ Shield, ending the MLS scoring period with a league record of 74 points.
This decision by FIFA continues to affirm Lionel Messi’s position in world football. Despite many conflicting opinions, Messi’s great contributions to football cannot be denied.
However, fans who disagree with the above list can still vote for their favorite player on FIFA’s homepage until December 10. The Best Awards Gala will be held on January 15, 2025.
