Lionel Messi picks former coach as top choice for 2025 FIFA The Best Coach of the year as his votes come to light

Lionel Messi's votes for 2025 FIFA The Best Coach of the Year has been revealed, with the Argentine legend picking former coach Luis Enrique among his top three.

Enrique, Paris Saint-Germain boss, was crowned The Best FIFA Men's Coach 2025 after an incredible campaign with the Ligue 1 giants, in which he guided them to their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.

Messi was among the 211 national team captains who voted for the 2025 FIFA The Best Coach of the Year, with the 38-year-old representing La Albiceleste in the voting.

Luis Enrique was ranked first position in Lionel Messi's votes, while Hansi Flick and Mikel Arteta were place second and third, respectively.

In addition to guiding PSG to their maiden Champions League triumph, Enrique also led the club to glory in the Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the Trophee des Champions.

Enrique's side also dazzled on the global stage, reaching the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, where they lost 3-0 to Chelsea.

Lionel Messi worked under the guidance of Luis Enrique at Barcelona between 2014 and 2017. The time together at the Catalan club was marked by success domestically and on the continental stage. Most notably, they won the treble in the 2014-15 campaign, including the Champions League and LaLiga.

Who are Lionel Messi's top three for the 2025 FIFA The Best Goalkeeper of the Year?

National team captains were allowed to cast votes in three award categories—best player, best coach, and best goalkeeper.

For the goalkeeping award, Gianluigi Donnarumma earned Lionel Messi's top spot, followed by Emiliano Martinez and Thibaut Courtois in second and third positions, respectively.

Donnarumma played a key role in Paris Saint-Germain's incredible 2024-25 campaign and became the first Italian to pick up the coveted prize since Gianluigi Buffon in 2017.

Messi's top choices across the three categories were Paris Saint-Germain contingents, although Donnarumma currently plies his trade with Premier League side Manchester City.

In the FIFA Best Player category, Messi picked Ousmane Dembele as his winner and put Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal in second and third positions, respectively.

Like Enrique, Messi and Dembele shared the locker room at Barcelona, with the pair winning multiple trophies together between 2017 and 2021. They featured alongside each other 95 times and combined for 15 goals.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide