FIFA explains how Messi beat Haaland to the Best Player award

There has been a lot of controversy around the world of football since Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi was named the best player in the world by FIFA.

The Argentine was crowned the winner of the award in London on Monday, January 15, 2024, having enmassed the highest number of points ahead of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe. FIFA released how the votes were collated from coaches and captains of national teams, along with some selected journalists.

Messi and Haaland had 48 points, while Mbappe came in third, having scored 39 points.

Here is how the votes were counted.

Captains: Messi (13), Haaland (11), Mbappe (9)

Coaches: Messi ( 11), Haaland ( 13), Mbappe (9)

Media: Messi (11), Haaland (13), Mbappe (9)

Fans: Messi (13), Haaland (11), Mbappe (9)

According to FIFA rules, when two players are both tied on the same number of points, the winner will be selected based on the number of five-point scores from the votes cast by the men's national team captains as per article 12 of the Rules of Association