Chronology of a surprise (‘The Best’ Messi) that torpedoes FIFA’s credibility

#Chronology #surprise #Messi #torpedoes #FIFAs #credibility

Lionel Messi’s ‘The Best’ was a major surprise in history recent football awards. Nobody is more ‘Messianic’ than yours truly, but a minimum of intellectual honesty leads us to describe the award as a ‘surprise’.

This surprise was brewing during the day. Here we tell you how the matter evolved into a ‘The Best’ that seriously torpedoes the credibility of the FIFA, the big loser last night. A clear lack of credibility because, seeing the titles of Leo and Haaland, the winner is only understood from FIFA’s NO explanation to its voters (captains, coaches, journalists and fans) of the object of the vote (December 19, 2022-August 20, 2023), which excluded the Qatar World Cup from the equation. I suspect that the Luxembourg captain, to give a random example, did NOT know what exactly he was voting for.

What is clear is that FIFA cannot allow any of the three candidates (Messi, Haaland and Mbappé) appeared in London. But that’s how it happened. In it Ballon d’Or winners were Vinicius, Bellingham, Messi, Haaland, Mbappe.

Bombshell: Messi wins his third ‘The Best’ and beats Haaland with general surprise

This is how the surprise was created yesterday from our perspective:

– 09.00 am. We are in London. Haaland rises as the clear favorite. His treble, his Super Cup, his Golden Boot… could not be compared with Leo’s Ligue 1 and Leagues Cup. This is how we published it: “Haaland was the clear favorite…”.

11.00 am. They give us the tip: Erling is not coming. From Manchester, corroborated by another source, they warn us that the Norwegian is not traveling to London. Phew! Queer. We consulted with the bosses in Madrid, and decided to tell on MARCA.com and on Radio MARCA (with Vicente Ortega) what we know: that Haaland might not come… and that fuels speculation about the winner.

16.00 pm. We confirm that Leo is not coming either, and we maintain the Haaland option. From the United States, they confirm that Leo is not coming to London either, so it seems that the Haaland option remains. Nobody anticipated a victory for Messi at that time, not even the few Argentine journalists who came to London. In fact, we were at the JW Marryot Hotel, where the guests and FIFA were, and the FIFA delegates themselves were boasting about the secrecy surrounding the winner. In that, FIFA did get it right. .

7:35 p.m. We go to the Eventime Apollo Theater, venue of the event. None of the three candidates appear on the green carpet… and back to speculation. Erling, Leo and Kylian DO NOT go through the obligatory green carpet. A ridiculous thing for FIFA that opened speculation again. In any case, since none of the three came, the Haaland option remained the most feasible.

20.50. The bombshell is coming. Messi is the winner. His name is heard in the room and silence falls in the Theater. Nobody knew how to react. They look at each other… until the first applause came. Nobody from Leo’s entourage shows up to pick him up and Thierry Henry, presenter of the event, jokes about taking him to his house.

Leo, with Inter Miami.

9:30 p.m. In the mixed zone, no one could believe it. We went down to the mixed zone and few people dared to express their honest opinion about the surprise. The majority alludes to Leo’s historical greatness – which is not in discussion and of which this journalist is the champion – but that was not the topic under discussion, since ‘The Best’ rewards a certain time frame, and not merit. historical. Let us remember that the 2022 World Cup has already been judged by ‘The Best’ 2022… which Leo won fairly.

10:30 p.m. The mixed zone ends and the journalist Gianni Infantino does not appear. Unlike what happened in other years, the FIFA president was not seen before journalists or at any award ceremony on stage. Suspicious. Was he also displeased with the ridicule that his organization had just made of him?

Full stop. Congratulations to Messi, who doesn’t need this ‘The Best’ to be one of the (three, two, one?) greatest of all times.