Facing fierce protests from fans, FIFA explains its decision to choose Messi for The Best award.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Messi's inclusion in The Best (Player of the Year) 2024 award has generated mixed reactions. FIFA has issued an explanation for its decision.

Last night, FIFA announced the shortlist of 11 players competing for The Best 2024 award. Messi appeared alongside a host of stars such as Carvajal, Florian Wirtz, Bellingham, Mbappe, Kroos, Yamal, Rodri, Valverde, Vinicius, and Haaland...

FIFA sparked controversy by including Messi in the nominations for The Best 2024 award (Photo: Getty).

Messi's inclusion has sparked considerable controversy, especially since he was recently excluded from the list of 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or a few months ago. The number 10 superstar had a less than successful year with Inter Miami.

Although this team won the points-based phase of Major League Soccer (MLS), they were eliminated early from the championship playoffs after a defeat against Atlanta United. However, in return, El Pulga (El Pulga) won the Copa America 2024 with the Argentine national team.

However, the problem is that the brightest star of the Argentine national team at the 2024 Copa America, Lautaro Martinez, is not on the list of nominees. That was the tournament where the Inter Milan striker won both the Golden Boot and the Best Player award.

In addition, Lautaro Martinez won the Serie A championship, and also won both the top scorer award and the best player award in Serie A.

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On social media platform Twitter, many fans have voiced their opposition to Messi's inclusion in The Best awards. Here are a few typical opinions:

"It's crazy that Messi was nominated, but Salah wasn't."

"The absence of Salah and Harry Kane is a crime by FIFA."

"Who voted for Messi to be on this list?"

"I don't understand why Messi is on this list. Does the World Cup count towards points every year?"

Lautaro Martinez's exclusion from The Best nomination is seen as a major injustice (Photo: Getty).

Following strong protests from fans, FIFA issued an explanation for Messi's selection on its website. They wrote: "Messi has turned 37, but he still maintains a significant influence at Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. El Pulga's impressive performances helped the club win the 2024 Supporters' Shield (the top team in the points-scoring phase of the Major League Soccer).

In addition, Messi also led the Argentine national team to the Copa America championship and finished the year as the top scorer in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the South American region with 6 goals.

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According to statistics, in 2024, Messi scored 23 goals and provided 13 assists in 25 matches for Inter Miami. The Best awards ceremony will be held on January 15, 2025.

Not long ago, FIFA also faced criticism for hastily awarding a spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup to Messi's Inter Miami, despite the fact that the Major League Soccer season had not yet ended.

List of 11 nominees for The Best 2024 award (Photo: FIFA).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bi-cdv-phan-doi-du-doi-fifa-giai-thich-ly-do-chon-messi-o-giai-the-best-20241129174041068.htm