SAN FRANCISCO, September 25, (THEWILL) –Â Luka Modric has defeated fellow finalists, Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo, to win the 2018 Best FIFA player award.
The Croatian midfielder broke the 10-year duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the ceremony which held at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Monday as both Ronaldo and Messi failed to show up at the awards.
His emergence follows his exploits with Croatia who reached the final of this year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia and with Real Madrid who retained the UEFA Champions League.
THEWILL recalls that Modric was the player of the tournament at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and also won the UEFA player of the year award in August.
“It was an unbelievable season, the best season in my life,” said Modric, 33, after receiving his award.
“I’m very proud of everything I achieved this year. It will be remembered, for sure, forever.”
Salah’s English Premier League strike against Everton won him the Puskas gong.
Didier Deschamps, whose French team won the World Cup, beat Zinedine Zidane and Zlatko Dalic to claim the best men’s coach award.
Deschamps becomes the third man in history to win the World Cup both as a player and a manager, joining Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer.
Reynald Pedros of Lyon picked up the gong for best women’s coach award ahead of Sarina Wiegman and Asako Takakura.
The women’s player award went to Brazil’s Marta who beat Lyon duo Ada Hegerberg and Dzsenifer Marozsan. Marta had previously won the-defunct FIFA World Player of the Year award five years in a row between 2006 and 2010.
Below is the full list of winners.
FIFA Player of the Year: Luka Modric
FIFA Women’s Player of the Year: Marta
Best Men’s Coach: Didier Deschamps
Best Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Best Women’s coach: Reynald Pedros
Puskas Award: Mohammed Salah
Best Fan: Peru’s fan
Best Fair play award: Lennart Thy
FIFProXI: David De Gea, Dani Alves, Rafael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Luka Modric, N’Golo Kanté, Eden Hazard, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo.
