Lionel Messi's votes for 2025 FIFA The Best Men’s Player award revealed as Barcelona star Lamine Yamal named among his top 3

Lionel Messi’s votes for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award have been revealed, with the Argentine icon including Barcelona teenage sensation Lamine Yamal among his top three.

Ousmane Dembele was crowned The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2025 following an incredible campaign with Paris Saint-Germain, where he was a talismanic figure in the club’s run to a maiden UEFA Champions League title and other trophies.

The winner of The Best FIFA Men’s Player is usually decided by votes from fans, coaches, and captains of all 211 FIFA men’s national teams. Voters are allowed to make their first, second, and third choices for the winner.

Lionel Messi, who is currently the captain of the Argentina national team, represented La Albiceleste in the voting. After the winners in every category had been announced, FIFA released a list showing the breakdown of the top three choices of every national team captain.

The eventual winner Dembele got the first position in Messi’s voting, while Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Yamal were ranked second and third, respectively. Players in first position get five points, while second- and third-placed players receive three and one point, respectively.

Interestingly, Lionel Messi holds the record for the most wins of The Best FIFA Men’s Player award, having claimed it three times. The award has been handed out by the sport’s governing body, FIFA, since 2016.

Apart from Lionel Messi, which other top player voted Ousmane Dembele in first position for The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2025?

Besides Lionel Messi, there were several other players who gave their support to Ousmane Dembele for the 2025 The Best FIFA Men’s Player gong.

Some of them include Belgium’s Youri Tielemans, Colombia’s James Rodriguez, Denmark’s Pierre Emile Højbjerg, England’s Harry Kane, Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, South Korea’s Son Heung-min, Mali’s Yves Bissouma, Norway’s Martin Odegaard, Sweden’s Victor Lindelof, Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka, Turkey’s Hakan Calhanoglu, and Wales’ Aaron Ramsey.

Messi last won the award in 2023, but his archrival Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the inaugural edition in 2016. Ronaldo wasn’t involved in the voting for The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2025 despite being the captain of the Portugal national team. Bernardo Silva represented Seleção das Quinas in the voting.