With Lionel Messi winning the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year award again, the South American's surprise votes for the prize have since been revealed.
The Argentine, who had previously won the accolade in 2019, beat Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema to the main prize at a ceremony in Paris on Monday night.
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Despite not having the most prolific 2021/22 season with PSG by his lofty standards, the 35-year-old guided his nation to 2022 FIFA World Cup glory in Qatar, breaking numerous records as he was named player of the tournament.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Messi accumulated 52 points to narrowly edge Mbappe's 44 point tally for The Best Men's Player award, while Benzema received 34.
With the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner being the captain of Argentina, he was also allowed to vote for his top three for the accolade, and according to PSG Talk, Messi gave Neymar his first place for the award, while Mbappe and Benzema were his second and third choice, respectively.
He had also placed his aforementioned PSG teammates in first and second place for the previous two editions of the prize.
Votes were cast by supporters, national team captains, national team coaches and select journalists from various nations.
Interestingly, Cristiano Ronaldo did not vote despite being Portugal's official captain at the World Cup and there being no mention of international retirement from the player.
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Instead, FC Porto star Pepe was listed as A Selecao's captain for the process, with the former Real Madrid defender voting for Mbappe in first place, followed by Luka Modric and Karim Benzema.
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