FIFA is showing their appreciation for Messi on Thanksgiving.
Lionel Messi made headlines on Thanksgiving Day after making the nominee list for FIFA’s The Best Award, honoring the players with the best individual performances in the past year.
The 37-year-old made the list as the only player currently outside of Europe, with the rest of the nominees playing inside of Europe’s top-five leagues. Toni Kroos (who retired at the end of the 2024 European Championship) is the only exception.
The qualifying period for the award and nominations was between Aug. 21, 2023 and Aug. 10, 2024.
The Best Men’s Player nominees
- Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid and Spain)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City and Norway)
- Federico Valverde (Real Madrid and Uruguay)
- Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen and Germany)
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England
- Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid and France)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami and Argentina)
- Rodri (Manchester City and Spain)
- Toni Kroos (Real Madrid and Germany)
- Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid and Brazil)
“Undeserved” — Messi The Best nomination causes outrage from fans
Messi’s nomination for the individual award — as per usual in recent years — has caused controversy amongst fans on social media, with many claiming this is yet another example of the Argentine being in contention for an award without strong justification.
The Inter Miami player had a standout 2024 MLS Season, scoring 21 goals and providing 11 assists in 22 matches (including playoffs) and winning the 2024 MLS Supporters Shield (awarded to the team with the most regular season points). They also broke the record for the most points in history of the league.
However, the nomination period for the award (ending in Aug. 2024) did not consider most of Messi’s standout moments with The Herons, with Argentina’s 2024 Copa América win being the Argentine’s highlight of the last year.
Lautaro Martínez, scorer of Argentina’s only goal in their 1-0 win over Colombia in the final, was named as the tournament’s best player after bagging five goals in six matches. Messi scored one goal and provided another assist.
The date of the award show is yet to be officially announced.
