Mohamed Salah opted against voting for any of the top three in the FIFA Best awards.
Lionel Messi scooped the award for the second time with Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema finishing second and third. The trio have all excelled this year, either shining in the World Cup or Champions League and all winning silverware.
Salah didn't mention any of the three in his votes, though, instead opting for Vinicius Jnr as his top choice with Kevin De Bruyne and Achraf Hakimi his second and third picks. The Egyptian was the only man to vote for the unique trio on the night.
Vinicius Jnr scored the winner for Real Madrid in their final win over Liverpool back in May. The Brazilian has continued to shine for Los Blancos, scoring twice in their recent 5-2 success over the Reds at Anfield in the European Cup knockout stages. Vinicius eventually finished 11th in the FIFA Best rankings.
De Bruyne and Hakimi both finished above the Madrid man with the Moroccan ending up in eighth. He maintained his usual high standards with PSG and was a standout for his country as they shocked the world by making the World Cup semi-finals - beating Spain and Portugal en route.
Meanwhile Manchester City, who pipped Salah's Liverpool to the Premier League title, were often spurred on by De Bruyne's brilliance. The Belgian enjoyed his best season to date in front of goal and provided the assist for Ilkay Gundogan's crucial goal on the final day of the season.
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The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland were also among the top finishers, but Messi was firmly expected to scoop the award. The Argentine is the favourite to claim the next edition of the Ballon d'Or, which would be his eighth.
He said: "It's amazing. It's been a tremendous year and it's an honour for me to be here and win this award. Without my team-mates I wouldn't be here. I achieved the dream I had been hoping for for so long. Very few people can achieve that and I have been lucky to do so."
It was a successful night all round for those from Argentina. Emi Martinez, the shootout hero, was named the best goalkeeper whilst Lionel Scaloni scooped the best manager award ahead of Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.
Salah's team-mate Virgil Van Dijk was named in the FIFPro Team of the Year, which also included De Bruyne and Hakimi. Thibaut Courtois, Joao Cancelo, Luka Modric and Casemiro were all named. Alexia Putellas of Spain and Barcelona was named the best women's player whilst the Lionesses were also recoginsed.
