"If you want to know the best in the world, it should be by FIFA" - Gianni Infantino appears to take dig at Ballon d'Or during The Best awards

FIFA president Gianni Infantino apparently took a dig at the Ballon d'Or during the 2024 FIFA The Best Awards. He claimed that FIFA should be the body that decides the best player in the world because of its peculiar voting system.

The Ballon d'Or and FIFA The Best are two of football's highly coveted individual awards. The former is organized by France Football and voted for by top journalists across the world. The latter, meanwhile, is handled by football's world governing body FIFA and is decided by a vote equally weighted between fans, the current captains and coaches of all women's/men's national teams, and media representatives.

Speaking during the 2024 FIFA The Best award ceremony held in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday (December 17), Infantino said (as quoted by Madrid Zone on X):

"If you want to know the best in the world, it should be by FIFA. Because everyone votes, it's transparent, it's objective, it's all-inclusive."

Infantino's comments come on the back of a controversial 2024 Ballon d'Or gala, which saw Manchester City's Rodri pip Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. to the award. The Brazilian was the rumored favorite until the last moment. The turn of events has made several fans and pundits question the credibility of the prize.

Vinicius Jr. won the 2024 Best Men's Player of the Year at the FIFA Awards. Rodri finished in the second position, while Jude Bellingham was voted third.

Ronaldo Nazario congratulates Vinicius Jr. for FIFA The Best win after Ballon d'Or disappointment

Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario congratulated his compatriot Vinicius Jr. after the latter was named the Best Men's Player of the Year by FIFA. Vinicius had missed out on the Ballon d'Or in October, which sparked mixed reactions in the football world.

However, the 24-year-old has now been crowned the best men's player of 2023-24, beating Rodri to the accolade. Ronaldo hailed Vincius Jr., saying, (via Madrid Zone on X):

"They tried to erase you, my friend and you danced on them. The best player in the world is Black and Brazilian.”

Ronaldo won the FIFA World Player of the Year three times (1996, 1997, and 2002) and is the youngest player to win the accolade at 20.