Lionel Messi beat the odds to grab The Best FIFA Men's Player for 2019. The Argentina and Barcelona captain beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk during The Best FIFA Football Awards. The voting process involves every FIFA member nation's senior team captain, head coach and a journalist. The trio select three players from the nominations and rank them according to their top three preference. For Indian Blaugrana fans, it was a joyous scene when Gianni Infantino announced Messi's name for the award. We all know Messi or Ronaldo's preferences, but whom did India vote for, represented by Sunil Chhetri, Igor Stimac and Dhiman Sarkar.
Captain Chhetri went for UEFA Champions League winner Virgil van Dijk, followed by Messi and Salah.
Gaffer Stimac voted for Ronaldo as his top choice, with Van Dijk and Eden Hazard behind him.
Hindustan Times journalist Sarkar selected Van Dijk, with Messi at second place, and Ronaldo as his third choice.
Regarding the coaches category, Chhetri voted for Jurgen Klopp as his first choice, followed by Erik Ten Hag and Pep Guardiola. Meanwhile, Stimac chose Klopp, Pochettino and Guardiola. Dhiman went for Guardiola as his first choice, with Klopp and Pochettino behind him. The Liverpool head coach was the eventual winner.
