“If Haaland or Mbappe had won it, it would have been fine too” - Scaloni makes strong claim on Lionel Messi winning FIFA The Best award

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has dismissed suggestions that Lionel Messi did not deserve FIFA The Best Men's Player award. He believes that Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe winning it would have been acceptable too but debating if the Argentine deserved it was strange.

Speaking to MARCA, Scaloni stated that the debate around the award is beyond football and it is not right. He took shots at those who questioned the award and said:

"I think the debate goes beyond football, I don't think there is a debate between the footballer or the coach as to why he won it. If Haaland or Mbappe had won it, it would have been fine too. It's media stuff. Debating why Messi won it when football people vote is strange."

Lionel Messi had won the Ligue 1 title with PSG and the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami in 2023. The period for the award started the day after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which Argentina won.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lothar Matthäus question Lionel Messi winning individual awards

Cristiano Ronaldo spoke about the award earlier this month and claimed that the individual awards were losing their credibility. He said at the Globe Soccer Awards:

"It's not to say that Messi didn't deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappe… but the numbers are there and the numbers don't deceive. You have to consider the entire season. The numbers are facts. If you go back and see what happened at Manchester United and the national team, people actually considered me lost... But the truth is that I focused and had a great period at Al Nassr, that's why I scored 54 goals."

Lothar Matthäus was also of the same opinion and claimed that Lionel Messi had not won anything significant to collect the award. He said (via GOAL):

"He can't be the winner this time. I think he was the best footballer of the last 20 years, but he has been in Paris and Miami, where he is now creating a hype, and not won any major titles."

He believes that Erling Haaland should have won it because he had a better year and said:

"If you look at the great successes, there is no way past Manchester City and - when choosing the best player - Erling Haaland. He won the most important titles with Man City, his strike rate was impressive. That should be be decisive when you choose the best and most important player - and that was Haaland."

Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe also finished behind Lionel Messi in the Ballon d'Or race last year.