Konula: Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Iker Casillas, The Best FIFA Football Awards
The Real Madrid icon took to X (formerly Twitter) to air his dissatisfaction after seeing the Argentine ace win the coveted prize ahead of Man City's treble-winning striker.

Has The Best FIFA Football Awards lost its credibility following the decision to name Lionel Messi The Best FIFA Men's Player?

The gala was held on Monday, with the Argentine sensation going head-to-head with Man City star Erling Haaland for the main prize in men's football. Many felt the Norwegian deserved the gong following his remarkable debut campaign with the Cityzens but La Pulga was named the recipient.

Interestingly enough, Messi and Haaland received an equal number of points, with both finishing with 48 points following the voting process. However, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner edged out his competitor and took the prize home — figuratively, not literally, as the Inter Miami ace did not attend the event.

FIFA explained why Leo beat Haaland, revealing that "they were separated by the number of first-choice nominations which Messi received in votes from national team captains, as per the Rules of Allocation (article 12)."

Despite this, one of the most iconic names in world football was left upset by this decision. That person is Real Madrid and Spain legend Iker Casillas who took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast this move.

"You create some nice prizes and you are taking them away by not doing things fairly. 'The Smile' more like. Anyway, goodnight!" the retired goalkeeper wrote.

It is unclear what exactly Casillas took issue with. Was it the criteria that separated the two or was it the decision to name Messi the winner altogether?

The latter has been the more popular critique of this recent award, with fans flocking to social media to label this year's prize a robbery.

The Norwegian was unstoppable in 2023, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League last season. He also won the Golden Boot and scored the most goals in history in a single Premier League season. He would go on to add the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles to his cabinet — though he did not participate in the latter tournament due to injury.

The qualification period for The FIFA Best Football Awards was 19 December 2022 and 20 August 2023. This means that Lionel Messi's unforgettable 2022 FIFA World Cup win was not eligible for consideration.

Casillas also mocked the FIFPro World XI, which featured four attackers (Messi, Haaland, Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr.), three midfielders (De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Bellingham), and only three defenders. Rodri, who could have added balance to that lineup, was snubbed despite his outstanding role in Manchester City's treble-winning campaign.

"1-3-3-4. It is not a lottery number. It is not the telephone code of a country. It is not the key to my iPhone. It's the new football game system!! For the next ideal 11, it is better to put a 1-10," the Spaniard also wrote on X.

Former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe came in third in The Best FIFA Men's Player race, with Man City ace Kevin de Bruyne and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen completing the top five. Messi, who won Ligue 1 in 2023 and led Inter Miami to their first-ever trophy in the Leagues Cup, won this award twice previously.