Ballon d'Or: Nigerian journalist votes Messi and Haaland over Osimhen

France Football has released the details of how journalists voted in this year’s Ballon d’Or awards, which Lionel Messi won. 

Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or earlier this week, finishing ahead of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe. 

Nigeria’s very own Victor Osimhen finished inside the top ten with an eighth-place finish, the highest-ever position for a Nigerian in Ballon d’Or history. 

Osimhen was rewarded with a top-ten finish after spearheading Napoli’s first Serie A success in 33 years last season. 

The Nigerian striker scored 26 league goals, more than any other player, to help Napoli win their first league title since 1990. 

However, despite the historic feat, the Nigerian journalist who voted did not select Osimhen in his top three. 

Osimhen garnered 24 points, but the Nigerian journalist who voted put him in fourth place behind Messi, Haaland and Mbappe. 

The Napoli star had no luck with other African journalists who also voted, with many placing him in either fourth or fifth place. 

Meanwhile, Messi was the clear winner, finishing with 462 points ahead of Haaland, who had 357 points and Mbappe with 270 points. 

Messi’s win was seen as controversial, with many saying Haaland was robbed after winning the treble with Manchester City last season. 

However, the voting details have now shown that the Inter Miami star was the number one choice among voters after winning the World Cup with Argentina last year. 

The Argentine star is unlikely to win another Ballon d’Or again, though, after the organisers announced that they would be partnering with UEFA from next year.