FIFA have been forced to deny claims their World Player of the Year vote was fixed to ensure Lionel Messi would take home the prize.
Messi collected the top honour ahead of Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Nicaragua captain Juan Barrera sparked calls for an investigation into the integrity of the vote after he insisted he did not vote for Messi.
‘I did not vote in The Best 2019 awards,’ Barrera said on Twitter. ‘Any information about me is false.’ Read more