David Alaba has released a statement to explain why he voted for Lionel Messi over Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema in the FIFA Best awards.
The Austria international captain received disgusting racist abuse on his social media channels after it came to light that he had supposedly chosen Messi as his first choice for the 2022 accolade, ahead of Benzema.
But the former Bayern Munich star has now bravely responded to the abuse, explaining that his vote was not his personal choice but rather the collective decision of the entire Austrian national team. Alaba said in a statement on his social media channels on Tuesday morning: "Regarding FIFA The Best Award: The Austrian national team voted for this award as a team, not me alone.