The Argentine’s voting habits were exposed to the public after he was named The Best Male Player in the World at the FIFA Awards event on Monday. As captain of his country, he expressed affection for international teammate Julian Alvarez, whom he ranked third in the voting. One and two, on the other hand, were a different story.

Messi’s former PSG teammate, Kylian Mbappe, was named second, but the person he voted for to win the prize was none other than Alvarez’s teammate, Erling Haaland. In 2023, the Norwegian goal machine completed the treble by winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League.

This was Messi’s third time winning the award, with him also claiming the prize in both 2019 and 2022.