Monday night was one of the best moments for some footballing icons and fans across the globe.
The 2022 FIFA Awards, which took place in Paris, saw Argentina forward Lionel Messi emerge as the top men’s player in world football.
After the award was handed to the World Cup winner in Paris, FIFA gave some fascinating reading as to who voted for who, with the likes of Harry Kane, Thiago Silva and David Alaba appearing on the list.
🏆 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜 🏆
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) February 27, 2023
#TheBest FIFA Men’s Player Award 2022 goes to Lionel Messi! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/HXEugVH1t9
In regard to this, the Austria captain David Alaba’s vote brought the most reaction. The votes show he chose the Les Parisiens star Lionel Messi ahead of his La Casa Blanca colleague Karim Benzema.
Alaba handed his five points to Messi before voting for Benzema in second and Kylian Mbappe in third – a decision that saw the hashtag #AlabaOut trending on social media.
The 30-year-old was racially abused on both his Twitter and Instagram accounts.
However, in the early hours of Tuesday, Alaba has since released a statement on his Twitter page explaining his decision to vote for Messi.
“Regarding FIFA The Best Award: The Austrian national team vote for this award as a team, not me alone. Everyone in the team council is able to vote and that’s how it’s decided,” he said.
“Everyone knows, especially Karim, how much I admire him and his performances and I have often said that for me he is the best striker in the world, and that is still the case. Without doubt.”
Regarding FIFA The Best Award:
— David Alaba (@David_Alaba) February 28, 2023
The Austrian national team vote for this award as a team, not me alone. Everyone in the team council is able to vote and that's how it's decided.
Everyone knows, especially Karim, how much I admire him and his performances