Why did Messi win ‘The Best’ if he had the same number of votes as Haaland? Tiebreaker rules explained

Lionel Messi was somewhat surprisingly named The Best FIFA Men’s Player for the third time at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2023, only just pipping Erling Haaland, and former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappé, to the prize. None of the three finalists attended the gala in London.

The Manchester City striker had been tipped by many to win the award for the first time ahead of the Inter Miami star and the Paris Saint-Germain attacker, but it was Messi who came out on top, adding to his victories in 2019 and 2022.

Messi’s bright Miami start before injuries

The 36-year-old won Ligue 1 with former club PSG in 2022-23 but struggled to make an impact in the Champions League before making the switch to MLS in the summer. Messi made a blistering start in the United States, leading Inter Miami to their first ever trophy in their History with 10 goals in seven Games in the Leagues Cup. However, he found the net only once in six MLS Games, hampered by injuries.

Haaland, meanwhile, won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, a feat only Manchester United had achieved before, and set a new record for goals scored in a single season in the English top flight in its current format.

What tiebreaker gave Messi the award ahead of Haaland?

It was an incredibly close-run thing, however, with FIFA revealing Messi and Haaland received the same number of votes. The Argentine veteran and Norwegian marksman were tied on 48, ahead of Mbappé, who amassed 35.

But it was Messi who ultimately came out on top after receiving “the highest number of ‘five-point’ scores from the votes cast by men’s national team captains, as per Article 12 of the Rules of Allocation”.

Coaches, captains, journalists and fans all had a say on the winner of each award, with the top choices of coaches, captains and journalists awarded five points, the second choice given three, and the third pick allocated one.

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