Portugal coach Roberto Martinez chooses Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr teammate in surprise vote for 2023 FIFA The Best Men’s Player award

Portugal's head coach Roberto Martinez chose Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr teammate Marcelo Brozović as his favorite to win the Best FIFA Men's Player award.

Croatian midfielder Brozović received a total of seven scoring points. He secured the 11th spot in the list of the 2023 FIFA The Best Men’s Player award. He was the top choice of Kosovo head coach Primoz Gliha and Portugal boss Roberto Martinez.

The former Belgium head coach also revealed the reason behind his vote. He stated that the Croatian midfielder had a decent campaign with Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League 2022-23.

Moreover, according to Martinez, Brozovic also played a crucial role against Manchester City in the final. Roberto Martinez also lauded the former Inter Milan midfielder for his playing style and technique. He said after the awards ceremony (via SportBible):

"Brozovic had a very interesting season and had a very good final in the Champions League. The details of not winning were minimal."

He added:

"It [the vote] represents a style of play that for a team like Croatia during the World Cup was supposed to be preserved on video and shown to future generations. It represents a generation of Croatia."

Marcelo Brozovic joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in July 2023 for a reported transfer fee of €18 Million from Inter Milan. Since joining Al-Nassr, the Croatian midfielder has made 23 appearances, bagging three goals and six assists.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal snubs Lionel Messi for the 2023 FIFA The Best Men’s Player award

Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo did not cast his vote for the 2023 FIFA The Best Men’s Player award in his capacity as the captain of Portugal. Porto defender Pepe took up that responsibility in place of Ronaldo, as per GOAL.

Pepe chose Manchester City midfielder and his compatriot, Bernardo Silva as his top choice, followed by Erling Haaland and Victor Osimhen as his second and third picks.

On the other side, Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez picked Bernardo Silva and Lionel Messi at the second and third place, behind Brozovic.

Overall, Argentine playmaker Lionel Messi added another accolade to his trophy cabinet by winning the 2023 FIFA The Best Men’s Player award. He received equal scoring points as Erling Haaland (48), however but won the award after being ranked in the first place by more national team captains.