Colombian coach Lorenzo says he wanted to vote for Messi at The Best, but FIFA blocked this

For more than a decade Lionel Messi was the dominant winner at most football awards ceremonies. However, as his career enters its final stages, that trend has changed and the Argentine icon has recently been absent from the top positions in the main voting results. Now, Colombia coach of the national team Nestor Lorenzo has revealed new details about the FIFA the best awards.

“In 2024 I voted for Messi as the best player in the world for The Best,Lorenzo said in a recent interview with The nation. “And in 2025 I wanted to vote for him again, but they did not allow me to do so because he was not among the candidates.”

After encountering that limitation of FIFAthe Argentinian head coach of the Colombian national team explained his reaction. “What do you mean he’s not on the list?” I asked. As long as Messi steps on the field, he will be the best player in the world.” Lorenzo said, before making a comparison Diego Maradona. “The same thing happened with Diego: when he was playing, there was no one better.”

Ultimately, Lorenzo could not select Lionel Messi as the best player in the world and cast his three votes for the current European football stars when he cast his vote for the Best Awards. Harry Kane, Vitinha, And Ousmane Dembele were his choices.

Messi has won the Best award in the past

Even though Lionel Messi was not eligible for The Best award in 2025, he has an extensive and successful history with the trophy. In reality, the Argentine forward is the most decorated winner in the history of the award, having claimed it three timessurpass Christiano Ronaldo And Robert Lewandowskiwho have won it twice each.

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Likewise, Messi also dominates the sport’s other great individual honor, the Ballon d’Or. The Inter Miami star has the France football award eight timescompared to five for Cristiano Ronaldo, his closest challenger.

Nestor Lorenzo knows Messi well

As head coach of ColombiaNestor Lorenzo has played against Lionel Messi several times, including the Copa America 2024 final. However, beyond these encounters, Lorenzo’s knowledge of the Argentine forward goes back many years into their shared professional history.

Lorenzo was an assistant coach for a number of years José Nestor Pekerman with both the Argentina national team and the Colombian national team. That background ultimately played a key role in his appointment as Colombia’s head coach in 2022.

During his time with Argentina, the coach crossed paths with Messi when the striker was just starting his professional career. “When we played in the Confederations Cup in Germany in 2005, Messi was playing in the Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands at the same time. And we already fell in love with what he could do,” Lorenzo recalled in the same interview.

“Lionel has an inexplicable gift, but I believe it is mainly because he is always thinking about the ball.said the Colombia coach. “His longevity and consistency have made him one of the greatest in history. He not only does things that no one else can do, he has been doing them for many years. And that requires a lot of discipline. What he has done and what he continues to do is incredible.” It will be many, many years before we see anything like this again.”