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The two stars set a poor example by choosing to skip Monday's award
show in London, with the men's best player prize won by Luka Modric.
As the nominees and attendees arrived at London’s Royal Festival Hall
for FIFA’s The Best awards ceremony, many took the time to
acknowledge the throngs of young local fans who’d made the trip to see
their heroes in the flesh.
There was Kylian Mbappe, the World Cup’s hottest young talent, posing
for selfies. And there was Sergio Ramos autographing a Real Madrid
fan’s shirt. Five-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner Marta posed
with the Best Women's player award alongside the grinning Men's
winner, Luka Modric.
It doesn’t take much but it means a lot. Talk to anyone and they will
have a story about the first time they encountered a footballer for an
autograph or a photograph. Those are lifelong memories. They create
the strongest possible bond between a fan and a player.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two most recognisable and
two most popular players in the world. They are probably the two best
players to have ever played the game. They didn’t come.
Messi wasn’t nominated in the Best Player category and probably
thought the trip to the UK wasn’t worth his time. The three finalists were
Mohamed Salah, Modric and Ronaldo. Two of three were there but one
was conspicuous by his absence.
Ronaldo now has form for this kind of thing. He failed to travel to Monte
Carlo last month because he’d supposedly heard that Modric beat him
to the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award as well.
Given that these two have swept up every Ballon d’Or and most of the
rest of the individual awards for the past 10 years, they should
demonstrate a little bit more grace when they don’t get one.
There was plenty of chatter in the football community before the awards
were given out about Ronaldo and Messi’s no-show. There appeared to
be a prevalent opinion that both had demonstrated a lack of respect for
the rest of the nominees in all the categories, who had shown up win or
lose.
There was a moment during the ceremony when the FIFA/ FIFPro Best
Team was announced by X-Men star Patrick Stewart. There should have
been 11 players up on stage to receive the plaudits but only nine were
there.
It was a little awkward. If Eden Hazard, Marcelo and the rest can find a
slot in their schedule to attend then why are Ronaldo and Messi all of a
sudden too important for it?
In the grand scheme of things these awards are not the biggest deal in
football. It’s a team game after all and tangible collective awards will
always be No. 1. But there will always be more losers than winners;
that’s the nature of sport. There can be only one top dog. And part of
the game is ensuring you can meet the imposters of triumph and
disaster just the same. There is no winning without losing.
And it’s how players rebound from these blows that carves out their
characters. It starts from an early age when boys and girls around the
world have to get used to that sinking feeling, when they’d rather do
anything but shake hands with the victor but do it anyway. That’s the
very essence of sport and the most important lesson to learn.
If everyone else who had been on those shortlists alongside Ronaldo
and Messi over the years threw up their hands and said they weren’t
coming because they weren’t going to win, there no doubt those awards
would have lost some of their sheen.
It’s a matter of respect; respect for the game, respect for peers and
respect for the next generation.
Ronaldo probably did enough to be named The Best. He won another
Champions League for Real Madrid and smashed down more scoring
barriers. On another year the award could have been his.
We’ve become so inured to Messi and Barcelona’s dominance recently
that perhaps we take it a little for granted. Ernesto Valverde for
example won the double in his first-ever season at Barca and didn’t
even get nominated for Best Men’s Coach. Messi meanwhile remains at
the peak of his powers. But he’s going to have to reach even greater
heights in order to remind people of his brilliance.
Maybe he and Ronaldo feel they themselves have been given a lack of
respect for their efforts; the goals, the trophies, the moments, the
sacrifice, the dedication, and everything else that goes into their
brilliance.
But they would do well to be reminded of the fact that although they are
on the top of the pyramid there is a cast of thousands beneath them
and giving them that platform to perform.
And there is another generation coming behind them learning how to win
and lose who might look to this somewhat petulant reaction and think
it’s not worth shaking hands when you lose or applauding the winner.
Luka Modric had to do it in summer when France won the World Cup.
He sucked it up and took his Golden Ball award in the Moscow rain
when he probably wanted to be anywhere else.
He might not be everyone’s idea of the best player in the world but he’s
had the best season of his career. It takes a lot to stand out in the age
of Messi and Ronaldo. That deserves some recognition. It might even
have meant a little more if there in public had been the game’s two
finest exponents.

http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/suck-it-up-ronaldo-and-messi-fifa-best-player-award-snub/w6vv0n5yv8821wlmtj30r0euo

Congrats Luka! am happy a real madrid player won the award. #halamadrid

Abegiii Even if na me i no go come. Which kind rubbish be that. Dem cheat CR7 why him go waste him time

acenazt:
Abegiii Even if na me i no go come. Which kind rubbish be that. Dem cheat CR7 why him go waste him time

How exactly was he cheated,MODRIC won all he won at club level and still topped it by being outstanding at the GRANDEST STAGE OF THEM ALL,the FIFA World Cup where he won the Best Player..so what was so special about CR7?

donbenie:
How exactly was he cheated,MODRIC won all he won at club level and still topped it by being outstanding at the GRANDEST STAGE OF THEM ALL,the FIFA World Cup where he won the Best Player..so what was so special about CR7?

Baba keep Shut. I'm also a big fan of Modric but a bigger fan of what is and should be

acenazt:
Baba keep Shut. I'm also a big fan of Modric but a bigger fan of what is and should be

NO,YOU keep shut..the world has VOTED for their BEST PLAYER,if you don't like it..well,that is your personal PALAVER..

donbenie:
NO,YOU keep shut..the world has VOTED for their BEST PLAYER,if you don't like it..well,that is your personal PALAVER..

which the world?

acenazt:
which the world?

The SAME ONES that voted Ronaldo FIVE TIMES BEST PLAYER..