Real Madrid Stars Slammed After Voting for Lionel Messi to Win FIFA Best Award

• Luka Modric and Federico Valverde are not fan favourites at Real Madrid for now
• The midfield duo has upset Madrid fans by voting for Lionel Messi to win FIFA award
• Messi beat off competition from Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe for the award

Real Madrid superstars Luka Modric and Federico Valverde are under scrutiny from the club's fanbase for casting their votes in favour of Lionel Messi to secure the Best FIFA Football Award.

The ceremony for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 took place at the Hammersmith Apollo Theatre in west London on Monday, January 15.

Messi secured the title of the best men's player, surpassing Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe during the event, per ESPN.

It is noteworthy that the selection process for The Best FIFA Men's Player Award is primarily influenced by national team coaches, national team captains, and media representatives.

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Voters can select three players, and candidates receive five, three, or one point(s) based on their position in the voter's list.

In their roles as captains for the national teams of Croatia and Uruguay, Modric and Valverde participated in the voting process for the award, per Madrid XTRA.

The disclosure of Modric's choices for The Best FIFA Men's Player astounded Real Madrid fans.

Messi claimed the top position on Modric's list, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri following in second place, and his international teammate Marcelo Brozovic rounding out the third spot.

Elsewhere, Valverde's top choice for The Best FIFA Men's Player was Messi, while Mbappe and Haaland secured the second and third positions, respectively.

Modric, Valverde receive criticism for voting Messi

Undoubtedly, Modric and Valverde's choice to select Messi has not been well-received among the loyal Los Blancos fanbase.

The midfield pair is already facing online criticism, with fans expressing their displeasure on their Instagram accounts.

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It now remains to be seen how Modric and Valverde will react to the abuse thrown at them for voting for the former Barcelona superstar.

David Alaba is another Los Blancos superstar who exercised his voting rights at The Best FIFA Awards. The Austrian captain placed Haaland as his foremost choice, while Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne secured the second and third positions, respectively.

Why Messi was absent from FIFA ceremony

Sports Brief earlier reported on why Messi missed the FIFA Best Award ceremony.

The Argentine phenom was announced as the Best Men's Player of the Year.

Sources close to the 36-year-old said the reason for his absence was that Messi did not want to break his pre-season training with Inter Miami.