Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has been named FIFA’s The Best Player of the Year.
He beat Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool‘s Virgil van Dijk to the crown.
Betting odds had Van Dijk as the favourite after winning the Champions League, but the Argentine rose above the Liverpool defender after finishing second in the first two years of the award, while he didn’t even reach a podium finish last year.
“I want to thank everyone who decided to give me this recognition,” Messi said as he collected his trophy.
“For me, individual awards are secondary and the collective comes first.
“But today is a special day for me.
“I have my wife and children here, and it’s the first time they’ve come.
“Having them here to enjoy this is priceless.
“They love football and they’re watching everyone around them shyly.”
Messi dominated for Barcelona last season.
Now, he’s favourite to go on and win the Ballon d’Or, as happened with Ronaldo twice and Luka Modric in 2018.
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