David Alaba, defender of Real Madrid and the Austrian national team, was the victim of racism on social networks for voting for Lionel Messi, Barcelona’s idol, for the best player in the world award in FIFA’s The Best, instead of choosing his teammate Karim Benzema, winner of the Ballon d’Or awarded by the French magazine France Football last season. The Argentine was chosen by the organization as the best player in the world for the seventh time.
After the ceremony, FIFA reveals to the public the votes of each of the athletes, coaches and members that make up The Best’s voting body. Alaba chose Messi as the best player of the season, followed by Benzema in second place and Kylian Mbappé in third. On Instagram, Real Madrid fans attacked the defender, with monkey emojis and messages asking for the player to leave the Meringue club.
After the repercussions, Alaba went public this Tuesday morning and explained that the decision to vote for Messi was taken together with the Austrian squad. “The Austrian national team votes for this award as a team, not just me. Everyone on the team council can vote and that’s how it’s decided,” Alaba said. The defender’s vote, representative of the Austrian national team, symbolizes the group’s choices as a whole. Thiago Silva, for example, can vote for being the captain of the Brazilian national team – the Chelsea player chose Neymar as the best player in the world last season.
“Everyone knows, especially Karim, how much I admire his performances. And I’ve said many times that for me he is the best striker in the world, and he will continue to be. Without a doubt,” he added. The Austrian received thousands of positive comments on his latest post. Messages like “we are with you” and “stay strong”, from Barcelona and Real Madrid fans, could be seen on the athlete’s social network.
Alaba shone at Bayern Munich, with two Champions League titles and 10 Bundesliga titles. At Real Madrid since the 2021/2022 season, the defender was essential in winning the Champions League in his first year at the club. This month, he competed and won the Club World Cup, defeating Al-Hilal, from Saudi Arabia, in the decision.
