Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi have both been absent from the recent FIFA awards gala and have now been slammed for their no-show.
The duo have shared the award over the past 10 years but it was Luka Modric that was named The Best Men’s Player of the Year on Monday.
The superstar duo’s 10-year reign at the FIFA awards ended but it was that both Messi and Ronaldo did not attend the gala evening in London that surprised most fans. Messi cited last-minute “personal reasons” while the Portuguese superstar reportedly could not make it due to his hectic schedule.
The two superstars’ no-show has since outraged many in the football world, and former Los Blancos and England coach Fabio Capello has voiced his concerns.
“Ronaldo and Messi’s absence is disrespectful to their fellow players, to FIFA and to the football world,” he told Television Española after the ceremony.
“Maybe they’ve won too much and have (too great) a dislike of losing. In life, you have to know how to win and lose.”
Modric lifted The Best award ahead of Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah, while Messi finished in fifth place, behind Kylian Mbappe.
Luka Modric has now been named UEFA’s Player of the Year and FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player of 2018, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to complete his awards hat-trick with the Ballon d’Or, the winner of which will be announced in December.
Do you think Ronaldo and Messi disrespected the awards or were their reasons genuine? Tell us in the comments below.
