"This is a stab in the back to Lamine Yamal" - Pundit slams Lionel Messi for his choices in The FIFA Best Men's Award voting

Pundit Jota Jordi has slammed Lionel Messi for picking Lamine Yamal as his third choice in the FIFA The Best Men's Player award. He highlighted how the Argentine chose a Real Madrid player over the Barcelona star.

FIFA The Best Awards were announced on Monday, December 14, and votes were revealed later on. Lionel Messi voted as the captain of Argentina. Each voter makes three picks, with the top one getting five points, the next getting three, and the third getting one.

As per the list, Messi picked Ousmane Dembele as his first pick, Kylian Mbappe as his second, and Lamine Yamal as his third. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) eventually won the award. However, El Chiringuito pundit Jota Jordi slammed the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, saying:

"This is a stab in the back to Lamine Yamal, a betrayal. One plays for Real Madrid and the other wears the 10 at Barça. I'm saying this very seriously, this is very significant."

Yamal also finished second in the 2025 Ballon d'Or rankings behind Ousmane Dembele. The Spaniard helped Barcelona win a domestic treble last season, contributing 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 games across competitions.

Dembele, meanwhile, helped PSG win five trophies, registering 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 games across competitions.

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Lamine Yamal on facing Lionel Messi and what he observed in his game

Lamine Yamal has been likened to Lionel Messi since his first-team debut in 2023 at just 15. Both players are left-footed, excellent dribblers, came through Barcelona's academy, and took the world by storm at a young age. The two can now face off against each other in La Finalissima between Spain and Argentina.

In an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes, Lamine Yamal was asked about potentially facing the 38-year-old, and he answered:

"I think that Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time, but he also knows that I'm a good player. There will be mutual respect if we play against each other."

While many find similarities between Yamal and Lionel Messi's dribbling styles, the Spaniard said that he studied the Argentine's passing as a kid. He said:

"As a kid, I used to study Messi's passes. Other players made good passes, but Messi's passes were pretty much goals. I always thought passing was more interesting than dribbling. They're somewhat more clever."

Spain and Argentina will face off in the La Finalissima in March 2026, and as per AS, it will take place in Qatar.