Iker Casillas causes stir with tweet after Lionel Messi wins FIFA’s The Best award | OneFootball

Iker Casillas has raised eyebrows with a post on X (formerly Twitter) after Lionel Messi won the men’s player of the year at FIFA’s The Best awards. Without mentioning Messi by name, the Real Madrid legend has suggested it was unfair the Inter Miami forward secured the individual accolade.

Messi was shortlisted for the award alongside Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe. While many expected Haaland to seal the award after inspiring his club to a historic treble last season, it was Messi who claimed it for a record-breaking third time.

Messi and Haaland finished on the same number of points (48) but the former claimed the award as he’d received more first-place nominations from national team captains. The full breakdown of votes on FIFA’s website shows Messi voted for Haaland in first place, Mbappe in second, and Julian Alvarez in third.

Casillas's tweet after Messi's win causes a stir

Legendary goalkeeper suggests award should have gone elsewhere

While many football fans have expressed their belief on social media that Messi was fortunate to win FIFA’s player of the year award ahead of Haaland, World Cup winner Casillas is the highest-profile ex-footballer to have made his feelings known. The 42-year-old, who made over 700 appearances for Real Madrid between 1999-2015, wrote on X: “You create some nice prizes and you are taking them away by not doing things fairly. ‘The Smile’ more like. Anyway, good night!”.

Messi's achievements in 2023

Won trophies with PSG and Inter Miami

It’s clear that Casillas, ranked the fourth-best goalkeeper of all time by football fans, doesn’t believe Messi did enough over the course of 2023 to earn this individual award - but does he have a point? Although it wasn’t a vintage year by Messi’s exceptionally high standards, he was part of the PSG squad that won the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title.

The South American then left Paris for Inter Miami and inspired David Beckham’s club to their first trophy weeks after joining in the form of the Leagues Cup. The 36-year-old was instrumental, too, scoring 10 goals in just seven appearances.

Still, do those achievements mean Messi deserved FIFA’s The Best award over Haaland, who scored 52 goals in all competitions last season, broke the Premier League record for most goals in a single campaign (36), and helped Man City win all three major trophies? It’s difficult not to feel that the Norwegian was extremely unlucky to miss out on top spot this year.

That said, FIFA’s The Best is award is ultimately voted for by a combination of international captains and coaches, plus the world’s media and fans. Messi emerged victorious for the second year in a row, just over 12 months since achieving his lifelong dream of becoming a world champion with Argentina.

Pep Guardiola claimed the men's coach of the year award

Man City boss is one of Messi's biggest fans

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claimed the men’s coach of the year prize at FIFA’s The Best awards ceremony. Asked back in October whether Messi and Haaland deserved the Ballon d’Or, the world’s most revered manager told reporters, per Sky Sports: "The Ballon d'Or should be two sections - one for Messi, and one for the other players."

He added: “Haaland should win, yes, we won the treble and he scored 50, I don't know, million goals. But of course, if you tell me the worst Messi season? That's the best for the rest of the players. Both deserve it, what can I say?

"Egotistically I would say Erling because he helped us achieve what we achieved. I would love it. But if Leo wins, they won the World Cup. It's nice so many players from Man City will be there for the first time in many years and challenging. That makes us so proud."