Four most controversial decisions made at The Best FIFA Awards
What's the story
Last night, all the stars of the footballing world descended on London as FIFA celebrated the best players, coaches, and the team of the year. Luka Modric took home the Best Player of 2018 trophy, and Marta was his female counterpart. The event, however, was not without its own set of controversies, as the logic behind some of the decisions was put to question.
Messi-Ronaldo
Messi and Ronaldo's absence from the event
Two of the greatest players of this generation, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were not present yesterday. After they have been competing for the top individual prizes in world football for over a decade, Messi and Ronaldo's absence raised eyebrows. While Ronaldo could not be there due to schedule of Juventus, Messi cited family reasons for his absence.
Salah
Did Salah deserve the Puskas Award?
Mohamed Salah won the Puskas Award, last night, for his goal against Everton, and some fans are not happy about it. Many consider Ronaldo and Bale's athletic overhead goals to be far superior to what the Liverpool talisman did. Salah, despite not winning any silverware for his club last season, was also among the nominees to win the Best Player of 2018 award.
Dani Alves
The inclusion of Alves in FIFPro XI was also questioned
One of the weirdest decisions made last night was including Dani Alves in the FIFPro World XI. Alves was far from his best, last season, after playing only 16 matches for PSG and two for Brazil. Notably, he was not included in Brazil's World Cup squad. He has been included in World XI numerous times, but many felt this time he didn't deserve it.
World XI
Important names missing out from World XI
Some choices in the FIFPro World XI were also doubted, with the reason why David de Gea received the goal-keeper's spot since he didn't win anything with Manchester United. Fans also questioned why Mo Salah was not included despite being among the nominees to win the best player's award. Griezmann's absence also came as a surprise to football fans.