Felipe Melo put several candidates on the table before choosing Messi.
The former Brazilian footballer acknowledged that Raphinha had a good season with Barcelona, although he said that with Brazil, “he struggled to make an impact” at the World Cup.
Regarding Mbappé, he noted that he scores a lot of goals, but argued that he won nothing with Real Madrid. He also mentioned Lamine Yamal.
In his analysis, the World Cup tipped the scales: he considered Messi the tournament’s best player and added his great season in MLS. “For me, it has to be Messi for the Ballon d’Or”, he said.