Colombia coach Lorenzo says he wanted to vote for Messi at The Best but FIFA blocked it
For more than a decade, Lionel Messi was the dominant winner across most soccer award ceremonies. However, as his career enters its final stage, that trend has shifted, and the Argentine icon has recently been absent from the top positions in major voting results. Now, Colombia national team head coach 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 La Nacion. “And in 2025 I wanted to vote for him again, but they didn’t allow it because he wasn’t among the eligible candidates.”
After encountering that restriction from FIFA, the Argentine head coach of the Colombia national team explained his reaction. “‘What do you mean he’s not on the list?’ I asked. As long as Messi steps onto a field, he will be the best player in the world,” Lorenzo said, before drawing a comparison to Diego Maradona. “The same thing happened with Diego: if he was playing, there was no one better.”
Ultimately, unable to select Lionel Messi as the world’s best player, Lorenzo cast his three votes for current European soccer stars when submitting his ballot 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 fact, the Argentine forward is the most decorated winner in the award’s history, having claimed it three times, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, who have each won it twice.
Similarly, Messi also dominates the sport’s other major individual honor, the Ballon d’Or. The Inter Miami star has won the France Football award eight times, compared to five for Cristiano Ronaldo, his closest challenger.
Nestor Lorenzo knows Messi well
As head coach of Colombia, Nestor Lorenzo has faced Lionel Messi multiple times, including the 2024 Copa America final. Beyond those encounters, however, Lorenzo’s knowledge of the Argentine forward dates back many years through their shared professional history.
Lorenzo spent several years as an assistant coach to Jose Nestor Pekerman with both the Argentina national team and the Colombia national team. That background ultimately played a key role in his appointment as head coach of Colombia in 2022.
During his time with Argentina, the coach crossed paths with Messi when the forward was just beginning his professional career. “When we were playing in the Confederations Cup in Germany in 2005, Messi was simultaneously playing in the Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands. And we were already falling in love with what he was capable of doing,” Lorenzo recalled in the same interview.
“Lionel has an inexplicable gift, but above all, I believe it’s because he always thinks about the ball,” the Colombia coach said. “His longevity and consistency have made him one of the greatest in history. He doesn’t just do things that no one else can do — he does them for many years. And that requires a lot of discipline. What he has done and what he is still doing is incredible. It will be many, many years before we see anything like that again.”