"I had to choose somebody else, knowing that Lionel Messi is the best player in the world," the Argentina coach told reporters, adding that he had voted for Manchester United and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo instead.
Maradona said the rules banned coaches from voting for players from their own country.
"Whoever thought that up is stupid," he said. "It's incredible, I voted for Ronaldo when I wanted to vote for Messi but I couldn't."
The FIFA award is based on votes by the national team coaches and captains of the 208 member associations of world soccer's governing body.
Maradona was speaking after a two-week trip around Europe in which he visited a number of Argentina's top players, their clubs and coaches.
Maradona heaped praise on Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho. "He's a sensational person," he said of the Portuguese. "He's somebody I look up to."
"They behaved like gentlemen and opened Barcelona's doors to me after a long time," he said. "Laporta and myself want the best for Messi."
The France game will be Maradona's second in charge after his surprise appointment. He began with a 1-0 win away to Scotland in November.
