Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, More 2019 Best Men's Player Ballots Revealed

Lionel Messi included Cristiano Ronaldo in his top three picks for the FIFA Best Men's Player award, although the latter didn't return the favour for the former.

Messi eventually took the prize on Monday, as the Barcelona star edged out Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, with Juventus' Ronaldo in third place.

Following the confirmation of the winner, FIFA released details on whom the respective players, coaches and journalists voted for. As captains of Argentina and Portugal, respectively, Messi and Ronaldo were allowed to make three picks in the category.

Messi's choice for the award was Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, with Ronaldo in second and his new Barcelona team-mate Frenkie de Jong in third.

Meanwhile, in Ronaldo's opinion, new Juventus signing Matthijs de Ligt deserved to win the prize, with De Jong second and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe in third.

As shared by the BBC Match of the Day Twitter account, while Messi was picking up his award, Ronaldo posted the following picture on Instagram of himself at home:

Per Rhys Daly of the Daily Express, Ronaldo included this caption on the post:

"Verified patience and persistence are two characteristics that differentiate the professional from the amateur. Everything that is big today has started small.

"You can't do everything, but do everything you can to make your dreams come true. Keep in mind that after night always comes dawn."

Football journalist Joel Rabinowitz said he was surprised by some of the selections made by Ronaldo:

Per ESPN FC, the win for Messi means he has now won this accolade on one more occasion than Ronaldo:

Van Dijk's votes were also confirmed. The Reds star selected Messi as his star man, with Liverpool team-mates Mohamed Salah and Mane in second and third, respectively.

Emma Sanders of BBC Sport said Van Dijk would have been a worthy winner of the trophy after a stellar season with Liverpool:

It's difficult to be too outraged by Messi's success, though, as he has once again been vital to Barcelona for the past year.

Although the Blaugrana came up short against Van Dijk's Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League last season and lost the Copa del Rey final to Valencia, Messi excelled in both competitions and La Liga. Barcelona won the Spanish title, with the forward notching an incredible 36 goals and 13 assists.

Van Dijk was vital in Liverpool eventually winning the Champions League, whereas Ronaldo enjoyed a successful debut campaign in Italy following his transfer from Real Madrid, winning the Serie A title.