'It was a mistake': After Ronaldo POR manager makes staggering comment on Lionel Messi's FIFA award

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez alleged that multiple persons made mistakes during voting for the FIFA Best Awards. Lionel Messi won Men's Player of the Year at the FIFA Best Awards earlier this month, superseding Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe.

3 things you need to know

• Lionel Messi won the FIFA Player of the Year award
• Roberto Martinez says voters did not know that the World Cup wasn't part of the parameter
• Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo had questioned the credibility of the FIFA award

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Roberto Martinez reveals what mistake the voters committed

Messi began 2023 with Paris Saint-Germain, where he scored nine goals as they won the French League title, before joining Inter Miami in June. The 36-year-old has scored 10 goals in seven games for the MLS club, and was instrumental in his side's inaugural League Cup win.

Meanwhile, Haaland scored 36 Premier League goals last season and in the process, made a club record of scoring 52 goals. Courtesy of Haland's immaculate season, Manchester City won the Champions League, FA Cup, and Premier League treble.

The FIFA Best Awards generally encompass a calendar year, as opposed to the Ballon d'Or awards, which reflect season-long efforts.

This year, however, the men's FIFA Best Awards were assessed from December 19, 2022 to August 20, 2023, due to the Qatar World Cup being included in last year's ceremony.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, who voted for former Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, stated that many people were unaware that the voting did not take into account Argentina's triumph in the 2022 World Cup, which Messi captained.

“It was a mistake,” Portugal manager Martinez told A Bola when asked about his vote for Brozovic.

“Now we have a lot of votes, we have a lot of elections. We have the FIFA player, The Best player, who has been there all season. The first time we have a World Cup in winter and the voting is strange because it was only for six months.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's take on FIFA awards

Earlier Cristiano Ronaldo also had a lot to say about the FIFA awards. According to the Portuguese superstar, FIFA awards are losing credibility.

"I think that, in a way these awards are losing credibility. We have to analyse the entire season. It’s not to say that Messi didn’t deserve it, or Haaland or even Mbappe, I simply no longer believe in these awards and it’s not because I won at the globe soccer but these are facts, the numbers are there and the numbers don’t deceive. They can’t take this trophy away from me because it’s a reality, So it makes me even happier, because the numbers are facts," Ronaldo said to the paper.