Messi To Attend FIFA Best Awards Despite Snub

By Nigel Phillips

Lionel Messi has accepted FIFA's invitation to attend the 2018 Best FIFA Footballer awards ceremony despite missing out on the main award of the night.

The Barcelona captain and five-time Ballon d'Or winner was left out of the three-man shortlist of the FIFA Best Footballer award that has Real Madrid's Luka Modric, Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo, and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.

Messi is, however, included in the Team of the Year, and so has an invitation from the world football governing body to attend the ball which is scheduled for Monday, September 24, 2018, in London.

The event has a history of people turning down invitations when they know that they would not be going home with the night's flagship award.

But, Messi has accepted the invite and decided to be in the crowd when 2017/18 World Best Player is announced.

Cristiano Ronaldo caused controversy, a few weeks ago, when he boycotted the UEFA Player of the Year award when he got wind before the programme that Modric will beat him to the flagship Mens Best Player award.