FIFA Awards: Ronaldo, Modric, Salah nominated but Messi snubbed
Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah and Luka Modric have been nominated for the FIFA Men's Player of The Year award. While Ronaldo and Modric won the Champions League in 2017/18, choosing Salah over Messi has raised eyebrows. Notably, Salah didn't win any silverware last year. This is the first time, in 12 years, that Messi has been snubbed for FIFA's top award. More details follow.
Even though, Ronaldo had a dull start to the 2017-18 season, the Portuguese legend picked up pace after Christmas and didn't look back. The former Real Madrid star delivered a series of amazing performances, as he gathered 26 goals in his 27 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid. He also helped Real Madrid win the Champions League, netting 15 times in 15 appearances.
Luka Modric, the Real Madrid mid-field maestro, was at his absolute best, last season, as he guided Real to another Champions League victory. He was also instrumental in Croatia's campaign, taking them to the finale of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. For his performances, Modric was awarded the UEFA Player of The Year. Can he break the Ronaldo-Messi dominance?
Mo Salah was phenomenal last season, scoring 32 goals in the Premier League and 10 in the Champions League. However, if a player's impact has to be judged, it should be based on the silverware he helps his club secure and Liverpool won none last season. Questions are circulating whether the recent popularity of the man and not performance was the deciding factor.
Messi has not made in the final shortlist for the first time in 12 years, and many are considering this a complete snub. Messi carried Barcelona on his shoulders and helped them win La Liga and Copa del Rey, along with single-handedly helping Argentina qualify for the World Cup. He netted in 34 goals in 36 La Liga appearances and was the highest goal-scorer.
While awards, such as these, do recognize the contributions of the best players, sometimes they get it wrong. Wesley Sneijder was snubbed in 2010 despite winning the treble and being Inter's most bankable player. The consistency of Messi and Ronaldo is at another level, but just because they have been around for long, their genius should never be taken for granted.
