BEVERLY HILLS, September 24, (THEWILL) – Barcelona striker Lionel Messi won the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award on Monday for a record sixth time.
The Argentina striker edged out Juventus’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
Messi took the award ahead of his long-time rival and Liverpool’s defensive rock Virgil van Dijk.
The FC Barcelona superstar who won La Liga last season as well as the European golden boot, last won the award in 2015.
Ronaldo, conspicuously-absent from the Awards at the La Scala Opera house in Milan, on Tuesday, took to Instagram to express his feelings in philosophical terms.
Ten minutes after the ceremony ended in Italy, the Portuguese superstar took to Instagram to show off what he had been up to away from the event.
He seemed to be immersing himself in a book while his son Cristiano Jr appeared to be doing his homework.
Ronaldo also offered up a few words, although it was not quite discernible whether he was talking about his not being victorious, or his current thigh injury.
“Patience and persistence are two characteristics that differentiate the professional from the amateur,” wrote Ronaldo.
“Everything that is big today has started small. You can’t do everything, but do everything you can to make your dreams come true.
“And keep in mind that after night always comes dawn,” a philosophical Ronaldo declared.
FULL LIST OF FIFA BEST 2019 AWARD WINNERS
Men’s player – Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
Women’s player – Megan Rapinoe (Reign FC and United States)
Men’s coach – Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Women’s coach – Jill Ellis (United States)
Men’s goalkeeper – Alisson Becker (Liverpool and Brazil)
Women’s goalkeeper – Sari Van Veenendaal (Atletico Madrid and Holland)
Puskas award – Daniel Zsori (Debrecen/Fehervar)
Fan award – Silvia Grecco (Palmeiras)
Fair play award – Marcelo Bielsa and the Leeds squad
FIFPro men’s world XI – Alisson; Matthijs De Ligt, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Virgil Van Dijk; Frenkie De Jong, Eden Hazard, Luka Modric; Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi
FIFPro women’s world XI – Sari Van Veenendaal; Lucy Bronze, Nilla Fischer, Kelley O’Hara, Wendie Renard; Julie Ertz, Amandine Henry, Rose Lavelle; Marta, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe.
