• Narration: This was the gala The Best
  • Gallery: The 'green' carpet at the Teatro de la Scala in Milan

Leo Messi is 32 years old. He is one of the best footballers of all time. If not the best. In Argentina, still anesthetized by Maradona, he is still reproached for not winning the World Cup. In Barcelona, ​​meanwhile, they pray that they never distort the gesture. Why never bother. There is dread in the face of a flight in time. And also before an end that the striker himself denies where he should. While analysts and bettors predicted that Liverpool's Virgil central Dijk would be recognized as the best footballer in the world - under the memory of the Cannavaro Golden Ball in 2006 -, who picked up his first prize The Best of FIFA was Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo, his eternal nemesis, both in the fields and on the stage, stayed in Turin. Juventus reported an injury. Megan Rapinoe, champion of the World Cup in France with the United States, scourge of Donald Trump, was awarded as the best player of the year. "We can use football to change the world," he claimed.

The arguments accumulated by Messi between July 2018 and July 2019, beyond the usual collapse of Barcelona in the Champions League - the last one in Anfield -, were as always overwhelming. A heavenly routine The forward led the Barca team to win the Spanish League (the tenth of La Pulga in 15 seasons) thanks to its 36 goals and 15 assists (51 goals and 22 goal passes in all competitions). He also conquered his sixth Golden Boot. He had less fortune with Argentina, which was off in the semifinals of a Copa América in which Messi concluded expelled and sanctioned. Or in the final of the Copa del Rey, where Barcelona was defeated by Valencia at Villamarín.

Cristiano Ronaldo was not enough with Scudetto with Juventus. Nor his 43 goals in his premiere with Vecchia Signora or having taken with Portugal the first League of Nations.

Messi had been living apart from this type of recognition for too long. He won the fifth and last of his Golden Balls in 2015. The poor performances of Barcelona in the Champions League were taking its toll while his rivals, especially Cristiano Ronaldo, fattened his showcases. The Portuguese won the France Football award in 2016 and 2017, and the 2018 one went to Luka Modric. In large part, thanks to his performance with Croatia in the World Cup in Russia.

The players tend to repeat that the individual prizes bring them without care, so they tend to remember the companions who accompany them along the way. So Messi did it again in the Milanese night, while he was excited looking at the seats where two of his three children, Thiago and Mateo were. Cyrus stayed at home. "This is priceless," said the Argentine. Football being a collective sport, such awards should not have such an impact. But the business rules. Moreover, self pride. The Best, voted by captains and coaches of all national teams of FIFA affiliated federations, has been granted since 2016, when the top rector of international football broke his alliance with France Football and his Golden Ball. Cristiano ( 2016 and 2018), and Modric (2018) managed to match both awards in the last three years.

The election of the ideal FIFA 11 caused some controversy. Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Modric, despite the poor season of Real Madrid, accompanied the Alisson goal, the central Van Dijk and De Ligt, the now Barca De Jong, the now Real Madrid Hazard, as well as Cristiano, Messi and Mbappé.

Jürgen Klopp fulfilled the forecasts thanks to the Champions League won at the Bernabéu. The German coach surpassed Mauricio Pochettino, precisely his rival in the continental final, and Pep Guardiola, who was the one who snatched the last Premier League after a titanic fight for the title.

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