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Argentina's Lionel Messi (left) has been awarded The Best FIFA Player of the Year Award in 2019. REUTERS / Flavio Lo Scalzo

Lionel Messi and Megan Rapinoe respectively won The Best FIFA trophies awarded to the player and the player of the year 2019, this 23 September in Milan. The Argentinian was ahead of the Dutchman Virgil van Dijk and the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo. The coronation of the American, world champion, is otherwise anything but a surprise.

It's a mini-surprise. While Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, European champion with Liverpool, was a favorite for the Footballer of the Year award, FIFA awarded The Best to Argentina's Lionel Messi. The striker, the top scorer of the 2018-2019 season, has also beaten the Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who did not make the trip to Milan where the ceremony took place on 23 September 2019. Messi succeeds the Croatian Luka Modric.

In women, the coronation of Megan Rapinoe, on the other hand was much more expected. World champion 2019, the attacker was the major actress of the title won by Team USA, this summer in France. More than his fellow Alex Morgan, also a finalist alongside the British Lucy Bronze. The Brazilian Marta was elected in 2018.

Note the very political speeches of the President of the International Football Federation (FIFA) during the evening. Gianni Infantino denounced the racist drifts in Italian football. And he was delighted that women will be able to attend the next match of Iran's national team.