World Cup: New York City Mayor snubs Messi as he names best player

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani overlooked Lionel Messi and selected Kylian Mbappe as his best player for the 2026 Winners Stay on Challenge with CBSSportsGolazo on Instagram.

At the beginning of the challenge, Mamdani favored Riyad Mahrez over Son Heung-min. He also chose the Algerian player instead of David Alaba, but later replaced him with Kevin De Bruyne.

When the Belgian midfielder faced off against Vinicius Jr, Mamdani opted for the Brazilian. He subsequently selected Vinicius over Luis Diaz but chose Lamine Yamal over the Real Madrid player.

Following this, Amad Diallo was next on the list, yet the mayor remained loyal to Yamal. Continuing with the challenge, Mamdani picked Mohamed Salah over Yamal, Harry Kane, Achraf Hakimi, and Sadio Mane.

Describing Erling Haaland as the best striker currently in the game, the New York City mayor then selected the Norwegian over Salah.

In a surprising turn, he also preferred Haaland to Cristiano Ronaldo. Mamdani concluded the challenge by choosing Mbappe over both Haaland and Messi.

Kylian Mbappe is enjoying a remarkable campaign, having scored seven goals in five matches for France.

Likewise, Messi has been in exceptional form during the tournament, netting in every match and accumulating eight goals.

France is set to face Morocco in the quarter-finals on July 8, while Argentina will meet Switzerland on July 12.

The two teams are positioned on opposite sides of the World Cup bracket, making a final rematch of the 2022 edition a distinct possibility.

France is set to face Morocco in the quarter-finals on July 8, while Argentina will meet Switzerland on July 12.

The two teams are positioned on opposite sides of the World Cup bracket, making a final rematch of the 2022 edition a distinct possibility.