Prestigious ranking contradicts FIFA and chooses Messi as the World Cup MVP

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics choose the Argentine as the tournament's MVP

Argentina succumbed in the World Cup final against Spain, and Rodri ultimately won the World Cup Golden Ball. However, the IFFHS has awarded Lionel Messi the World Cup Best Player Award. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics has chosen the Argentine as the tournament MVP.

'According to the organization, "this distinction is determined by the IFFHS overall performance index, a rigorous data-based methodology that incorporates weighted ratings of matches, goals, assists, and impact in knockout stages throughout a player's entire World Cup campaign. After the exhaustive analysis of every performance recorded at the 2026 World Cup, the verdict is unequivocal", they say.'

To support its decision, the IFFHS recalls the eight goals that Messi has scored in the eight matches played in the World Cup, in addition to providing four assists. "His average match rating of 8.33 across eight matches is not the product of isolated brilliance; it is the hallmark of sustained, decisive excellence maintained from the opening group stage to the final whistle of the tournament's most consequential matches. It is precisely this consistency under pressure, quantified through the IFFHS weighted rating system, that separates a worthy recipient from the merely outstanding".

"The IFFHS performance index gives particular weight to impact in the knockout stages, recognizing that the true measure of a player's greatness in a World Cup is his ability to raise his game when elimination is the consequence of failure.Messi's contributions in the knockout stages were integral to Argentina's progression, and his aggregate index score across all weighted criteria ranked above all other players evaluated at the 2026 World Cup. The federation's panel, guided entirely by statistical evidence and the integrity of the performance record, reached this conclusion with complete confidence. Lionel Messi is IFFHS Best Player, not because of sentiment, not because of reputation, but because of the unquestionable authority of the data," the Federation concludes.