The victory of Lionel Messi as winner of The Best trophy, at the expense of Erling Haaland, is controversial across the four corners of Europe.
Lionel Messi rather than Erling Haaland. As with the Ballon d’Or, The Best crowned the Argentine striker on Monday evening, this time to everyone’s surprise. The prize was actually to reward the best FIFA player over the past calendar year, and not that of last season. However, in 2023, the Norwegian striker undoubtedly deserved to be crowned since he achieved the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League treble with Manchester City.
But the jury, made up in particular of the selection captains, therefore decided otherwise, preferring “la Pulga”. Starting with Kylian Mbappé, who wears the armband for the Blues and who placed his former partner at PSG in first position, ahead of the Citizens cyborg and his teammate Kevin De Bruyne. ” Scandal “according to Norwegian media Daglabet And Norsk Rikskringkastingwho denounce “a joke in bad taste”.
Messi and Haaland tied but…
The English press is also taking issue with this The Best evening. If the Times just mentions “a very strange decision”THE Manchester Eveving News deplores “an aberrant result which dishonors FIFA”. Same thing in Spain, where daily Marca believes that the result has “seriously torpedoed the credibility of FIFA, the big loser of the evening”and in Italy, where Tuttosport criticizes the verdict “ubiquitous” of this ceremony.
Not enough, undoubtedly, to console Erling Haaland who may have it all the worse since he obtained the same number of points as Lionel Messi. At the end of the vote, the two players were credited with 48 points each. It was then necessary to count the number of first places to decide between them and in this game, it was the 2022 world champion who made the difference, Kylian Mbappé completing the podium with 35 points. Incomprehensible.
