Real Madrid fans asked Luka Modric and Federico Valverde to leave the club, citing the fact that they voted for Lionel Messi at the FIFA The Best award.
“Why did you vote for Messi? Please leave the club,” account @Kaizeye21 wrote on Modric’s Instagram on January 16.
Some other fans called Modric an old man, and said he betrayed the club and his legendary status. “Please retire. You are no longer a Real legend,” @Max_montes wrote.
Many fans also asked Valverde to leave, on Instagram. They believe that any Real member is not allowed to vote for Messi. “Vote for Messi? You are a clown, not a real Real member,” @Xoziomara wrote.
On the contrary, many Instagram accounts were upset with the reaction of Real fans. Account @Saiyanishan wrote: “Real fans have proven that their hatred for Messi is greater than their love for the home team’s players.”
At The Best 2023, as captains of Croatia and Uruguay, Modric and Valverde both have one vote, and both put Messi in the number one position. Modric chose Rodri and Marcelo Brozovic for the remaining two positions, while Valverde chose Mbappe and Haaland.
13 of the 20 captains of the teams leading the FIFA rankings all voted Messi number one. 18 people elected Argentina’s captain to one of three positions. The two people who did not vote for Messi were Messi and Pepe – who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in voting for Portugal. Messi voted for Haaland, Mbappe and Julian Alvarez, while Pepe chose Bernardo Silva, Haaland and Victor Osimhen.
According to the results announced by FIFA on the evening of January 15, Messi and Haaland both scored a total of 48 points, while Mbappe ranked third with 35 points. According to the rules, when two players have the same score, the player with the captain’s vote for the number one position will be ranked first. Therefore, Messi won with 107 captain’s votes to the number one position, while Haaland only had 64 votes.
While playing for Barca, Messi often faced off against Modric and Valverde on Real’s side. He holds the record of scoring 26 goals in El Clasico matches, eight goals more than the two second-ranked players, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ronaldo.
Modric won three La Liga and five Champions League with Real, so he is considered one of the legends at the Bernabeu. Valverde has also won two La Liga and one Champions League with Real.NVietnam expected lineup
