Toba Owojaiye reporting
Abuja , Nigeria
In the recent Ballon d’Or award, Lionel Messi secured his astonishing 8th victory, an accomplishment celebrated worldwide. Following him in second place was Erling Haaland, the prolific player from Norway and Manchester City.
A notable revelation from this event was the outstanding performance of Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian sensation, who managed to clinch the 8th position in the rankings, making him the highest-ranked African player on the list. His achievement was attributed to his pivotal role in Napoli’s Scudetto victory, a feat not accomplished in half a century.
However, what caught the attention of many was the revelation that Nigeria, a country proud of its football heritage, cast its vote for Lionel Messi rather than its own talent, Victor Osimhen. It’s important to note that voting for Messi is not inherently a wrongdoing, as he is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Nonetheless, the decision to choose Messi over Osimhen raised eyebrows and stirred discussions.
The full list of votes by country sheds light on how different nations favored their top football talents. Here’s a summary of the votes cast:
– ???????? Nigeria: Messi
– ???????? Albania: Messi
– ???????? Algeria: Haaland
– ???????? Germany: Messi
– ???????????????????????????? England: Messi
– ???????? Saudi Arabia: Messi
– ???????? Argentina: Messi
– ???????? South Africa: Messi
– ???????? Australia: Messi
– ???????? Armenia: Messi
– ???????? Austria: Messi
– ???????? Bahrain: Haaland
– ???????? Belgium: Messi
– ???????? Benin: Haaland
– ???????? Belarus: Messi
– ???????? Bolivia: Messi
– ???????? Bosnia: Messi
– ???????? Brazil: Messi
– ???????? Bulgaria: Mbappé
– ???????? Cameroon: Mbappé
– ???????? Canada: Messi
– ???????? Cape Verde: Haaland
– ???????? China: Messi
– ???????? Chile: Messi
– ???????? Colombia: Messi
– ???????? Korea: Messi
– ???????? Costa Rica: Messi
– ???????? Ivory Coast: Mbappé
– ???????? Croatia: Messi
– ???????? Denmark: Haaland
– ???????????????????????????? Scotland: Messi
– ???????? Egypt: Messi
– ???????? Ireland: Messi
– ???????? UAE: Messi
– ???????? Ecuador: Messi
– ???????? Spain: Messi
– ???????? USA: Messi
– ???????? Finland: Messi
– ???????? France: Haaland
– ???????? Gabon: Haaland
– ???????????????????????????? Wales: Messi
– ???????? Georgia: Messi
– ???????? Ghana: Haaland
– ???????? Greece: Haaland
– ???????? Guinea: Haaland
– ???????? Equatorial Guinea: Messi
– ???????? Honduras: Messi
– ???????? Hungary: Messi
– ???????? India: Messi
– ???????? Iraq: Messi
– ???????? Iran: Messi
– ???????? Northern Ireland: Messi
– ???????? Iceland: Haaland
– ???????? Israel: Messi
– ???????? Italy: Messi
– ???????? Jamaica: Messi
– ???????? Japan: Haaland
– ???????? Jordan: Haaland
– ???????? Kyrgyzstan: Haaland
– ???????? Lebanon: Messi
– ???????? Luxembourg: Messi
– ???????? Macedonia: Haaland
– ???????? Morocco: Messi
– ???????? Mexico: Messi
– ???????? Montenegro: Messi
– ???????? Norway: Haaland
– ???????? Oman: Messi
– ???????? Uganda: Messi
– ???????? Palestine: Messi
– ???????? Panama: Messi
– ???????? Paraguay: Messi
– ???????? Netherlands: Messi
– ???????? Peru: Messi
– ???????? Poland: Messi
– ???????? Portugal: Bernardo Silva
– ???????? Qatar: Messi
– ???????? Czech Republic: Messi
– ???????? Romania: Messi
– ???????? Russia: Messi
– ???????? El Salvador: Haaland
– ???????? Senegal: Haaland
– ???????? Slovakia: Haaland
– ???????? Slovenia: Messi
– ???????? Sweden: Messi
– ???????? Switzerland: Haaland
– ???????? Tunisia: Messi
– ???????? Turkey: Messi
– ???????? Ukraine: Messi
– ???????? Uruguay: Messi
– ???????? Venezuela: Messi
– ???????? Vietnam: Messi
– ???????? Zambia: Messi
This list reflects the players who received the most number one votes from their respective countries. Voters typically choose their top three players, and Victor Osimhen garnered a total of 24 points.
The decision by the Nigerian representative to cast their vote for Lionel Messi, rather than their countryman Osimhen, has sparked discussions and brought the intricacies of the Ballon d’Or voting process to the forefront.