Messi’s FIFA The Best vote revealed while Ronaldo misses out again

Previously, France Football and FIFA jointly organised the Ballon d’Or, but the two awards have been separated since 2016. While the Ballon d’Or is now voted on solely by journalists, FIFA The Best still includes votes from national team captains and coaches, similar to the system used before 2016.

Since 2010, both Ronaldo and Messi have been eligible to vote, and their choices have attracted huge attention every year. Recently, following the latest FIFA The Best awards, their voting histories were revealed again. Over the past 15 years, Messi has voted for Ronaldo in his top three twice (2018 and 2019), while Ronaldo has included Messi only once, in 2020.

Lionel Messi’s voting record

Ballon d’Or

 2010: did not vote

 2011: Xavi, Iniesta, Agüero

 2012: Iniesta, Xavi, Agüero

 2013: Iniesta, Xavi, Neymar

 2014: Di María, Iniesta, Mascherano

 2015: Suárez, Neymar, Iniesta

FIFA The Best

 2016: Suárez, Neymar, Iniesta

 2017: Suárez, Iniesta, Neymar

 2018: Modrić, Mbappé, Ronaldo

 2019: Mané, Ronaldo, De Jong

 2020: Neymar, Mbappé, Lewandowski

 2021: Neymar, Mbappé, Benzema

 2022: Neymar, Mbappé, Benzema

 2023: Haaland, Mbappé, Álvarez

 2024: Yamal, Mbappé, Vinícius Jr

This year, Messi chose Ousmane Dembélé as his first pick, followed by Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal for the men’s award. For the coaches’ category, the Argentine selected Luis Enrique, Hansi Flick and Mikel Arteta. In the goalkeeper category, he voted for Gianluigi Donnarumma, Emiliano Martínez and Thibaut Courtois as his top three.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s voting record

Ballon d’Or

 2010: Xavi, Casillas, Sneijder

 2011: did not vote

 2012: did not vote

 2013: Falcao, Bale, Özil

 2014: Ramos, Bale, Benzema

 2015: Benzema, James Rodríguez, Bale

FIFA The Best

 2016: Bale, Modrić, Ramos

 2017: Modrić, Ramos, Marcelo

 2018: Varane, Modrić, Griezmann

 2019: De Ligt, De Jong, Mbappé

 2020: Lewandowski, Messi, Mbappé

 2021: Lewandowski, Kanté, Jorginho

 2022: did not vote

 2023: did not vote

 2024: did not vote

Since 2022, Ronaldo has stopped voting for FIFA The Best. In 2024, he explained his stance: “I think that, in a way, these awards are losing credibility. We have to analyse the entire season. It’s not to say that Messi didn’t deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappé. I simply no longer believe in these awards”. In Ronaldo’s absence, Bernardo Silva voted for Portugal, choosing Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and Dembélé as his top three this year.

At the most recent FIFA The Best awards, Dembélé won the men’s prize, completing a remarkable year in which he also claimed the Ballon d’Or. In 2025, the French forward secured a treble with outstanding performances on the biggest stages. He was also named in the World XI alongside teammates Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha. In the women’s category, Aitana Bonmatí won her third consecutive FIFA The Best award.