Real Madrid defender David Alaba has suffered racist abuse on his social media accounts after voting for Lionel Messi ahead of Karim Benzema in FIFA’s The Best awards.
The Argentine superstar was named as the best player in the world during a glittering ceremony in Paris on Monday evening after scooping the most votes from his peers. It is the second time in his career that he has claimed the award.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward pipped his club teammate Kylian Mbappe to the top prize – earning 52 points to the French striker’s 44 – with Real Madrid star Karim Benzema ranking in third spot, on 34 points. A breakdown of every captain who voted in the awards has emerged since Messi was recognised as the top men's player in world football, giving insight into how players selected their top choices for the year.
Alaba is the captain of the Austrian national team and as such was the team’s representative for voting for the award, yet it raised a few eyebrows that contrary to other stars who prioritise their own club teammates, he did not select Real Madrid colleague Benzema in top spot.
The former Bayern Munich star handed his five points to Messi before voting for Benzema in second and Mbappe in third – a decision that saw the hashtag #AlabaOut trending on social media, alongside disgusting racist abuse under his posts on Twitter and Instagram.
Alaba's vote would not have changed the outcome of the eventual winner, but multiple Real Madrid fans viewed his choice as a betrayal of his club teammate and damaging his chances of ranking higher on the leaderboard.
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Messi’s success was propelled by his World Cup win with Argentina but Benzema enjoyed a sensational 2022, in which he won the Ballon d’Or, as he spearheaded Real Madrid’s incredible success in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Many of Alaba’s recent posts on his social media accounts had comments under them of several monkey emojis. The hashtag #AlabaOut gained traction on Twitter and Instagram as discontented fans voiced their anger at his awards choice.
Alaba said in a statement on his social media channels on Tuesday morning: “Regarding FIFA The Best Award: The Austrian national team vote for this award as a team, not me alone. 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.”
