Hughton & Ayew's choices unveiled: Who did Ghana vote for in FIFA Best Awards?
Following yesterday's FIFA Best Awards in London, FIFA has released the voting results for Men's Player of the Year. The winner was determined by a combination of votes from national team managers and captains (25%), journalists (25%), and fans on FIFA's website (25%).
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Despite tying in total points, Lionel Messi secured the award with more first-place nominations from national team captains than Erling Haaland.
Ghana's coach, Chris Hughton, placed Messi first, followed by Kylian Mbappé and Haaland. In contrast, captain André Ayew favoured Haaland in first place, selecting Victor Osimhen and Messi in second and third, respectively.
Among other interesting picks, several prominent national team captains favoured Messi: Harry Kane, Mbappé, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Aaron Ramsey, and Luka Modrić. Haaland received support from Ilkay Gündoğan, Casemiro, and surprisingly, Messi himself.
England manager Gareth Southgate backed Haaland, while Wales' Robert Page and Scotland's Steve Clarke chose Messi. Some unconventional choices included Montserrat captain Lyle Taylor voting for Arsenal's Declan Rice, Russia's Georgi Dzhikiya favouring Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Portugal coach Roberto Martinez selecting Marcelo Brozović.
Captain - Ghana - André Ayew; 1. Erling Haaland 2. Victor Osimhen 3.Lionel MessiCoach - Ghana - Christopher Hughton; 1. Lionel Messi 2. Kylian Mbappé 3. Erling Haaland
Media - Ghana - Gary Al Smith; 1. Erling Haaland 2. Rodri 3. Victor Osimhen
See the full list of voters and who they voted for below;
