As Argentina’s captain, Messi was entitled to vote on all three men’s award which were handed out by FIFA at The Best awards in Doha, Qatar. The Best Men’s Player award wasn’t the only category which exposed a lack of bias from Messi.

Lionel Messi voted for former Barcelona teammate Ousmane Dembelé as The Best FIFA Men's Player of 2025.

The 28-year-old forward, who previously captured the 2025 Ballon d'Or was handed the 2025 FIFA Best Men’s Player Award at Tuesday's ceremony in Doha, Qatar.