Alaba defends Messi FIFA vote after barrage of racist abuse

Carlo Garganese

• 28 Feb 2023 11:00 GMT
• 3 min read

David Alaba has been forced to explain why he didn’t vote for Karim Benzema as his FIFA Player of the Year after he received a barrage of racial abuse from fans.

Alaba - as captain of his country - was Austria’s representative in the vote to decide who was Best FIFA Men’s Player.

Alaba voted for Lionel Messi (five points) as his best men’s player ahead of Real Madrid teammate Benzema (three points), with Kylian Mbappe (one point) getting his third vote.

READ: FIFPro Best XI: Messi, Mbappe and Haaland named in top team of 2022

Messi subsequently won The Best FIFA Men’s Player award at the annual competition in Paris. Mbappe finished second and Beznema third.

Alaba’s decision to vote for Messi led to a torrent of abuse, with the hashtag #AlabaOut trending.

He also received a great deal of racist abuse, with numerous monkey emojis posted to him on his social media accounts.

Alaba has now been forced to explain why he voted for Messi over Benzema.

The defender explained how his choice was actually a group vote on behalf of the Austria national squad and not a personal choice.

What did Alaba say about FIFA vote?

“Regarding FIFA The Best Award: The Austrian national team vote for this award as a team, not me alone,” Alaba wrote on Twitter.

“Everyone in the team council is able to vote and that's how it's decided. Everyone knows, especially Karim, how much I admire him and his performances.

“And I have often said that for me he is the best striker in the world, and that is still the case. Without doubt.”

Alaba joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 from Bayern Munich on a free transfer. He enjoyed a fantastic first season alongside Benzema, winning the Champions League and La Liga last term.