5 players who deserved to be on the FIFA Men's Player Of The Year award final shortlist

#1 Lionel Messi

FC Barcelona v SD Huesca - La Liga — Lionel Messi's snub was a big surprise to many

FIFA's decision to ignore Lionel Messi in their final shortlist for the Player Of The Year award this term has caused a lot of controversies and several debates among football enthusiasts all over the world - with some notable figures even leaping forward to defend the Argentine playmaker.

As a matter of fact, it came as a surprise to many because no one was expecting the attacker to be left out of the top 3 contenders for the accolade, due to the spectacular year he has had.

The Argentine finished as the top scorer in Europe last season, claiming the European Golden Shoe with a whopping 34 goals in 36 appearances. He also played an influential role at Barcelona, helping the Catalans to claim both the La Liga title and the Copa Del Rey trophy during the campaign.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Sundaresh Kumar