Real Madrid defender David Alaba has clarified his selection for The Best FIFA Football Awards via Instagram.
Austria captain Alaba received a barrage of criticism and even racial abuse from supporters of his own club after it was revealed that he had picked Lionel Messi in top spot for The Best award, ahead of Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema.
Alaba has come forward and clarified that his vote is a combined selection of the entire Austrian national team, with everyone in the team council being able to have a say.
In his Instagram story, Alaba also called Karim Benzema “the best striker in the world”, and that he holds immense admiration for the Frenchman.
“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.”
Despite winning the Ballon d’Or after a season in which he won both La Liga and a fifth UEFA Champions League, Benzema lost out to Lionel Messi in the award for ‘The Best Men’s Footballer’, following the Argentine’s World Cup win.
Roddur Mookherjee | GSFN
