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The Best FIFA Football Awards 2018 Gala held in London on Monday witnessed players from across the football world coming together to celebrate individuals for their achievements in the game.
The night saw several surprises which left fans bewildered. Mo Salah's Puskas award win for the best goal was one of them. Fans expressed their confusion at the win, wondering how Gareth Bale's Champions League overhead goal did not win the accolade.
What caught the most attention from fans, however, was the notable absence of two of football's greatest players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Messi, who recently became the first player to reach 150 assists in La Liga in the 21st century, only made it to the top 10 list this year. This is the first time in twelve years that the Argentine ace was not included in the Player of the Year shortlist.
Ronaldo, however, was nominated along with Croatia's Luka Modrić and Egypt's Mohamed Salah.
The Portuguese was nominated for his role in Real Madrid's fourth Champions League title in five seasons.
Mohamed Salah, on the other hand, scored 32 goals to beat Harry Kane to the Premier League Golden Boot last season. He also played a vital role in getting Egypt to its first World Cup appearance since 1990.
Modrić, who was the eventual winner, was already the favourite to win the award after the pivotal role he played in taking Real Madrid to a third consecutive Champions League and Croatia to a World Cup final.
Spanish publication Marca reported that Ronaldo's absence was due to the fact that Juventus played a game on Sunday night, and have a Serie A game on Wednesday against Bologna.
It may be recalled that Ronaldo also missed the UEFA Best Player awards which were held in August, where ex-Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric was deemed as the Best European Footballer of the Year 2018.
Messi, who was initially thought to be attending the gala, only made it to the top 10 list this year. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Argentine was unable to fly to the capital for the ceremony due to family reasons.
A representative of FIFA at the gala reportedly said, "They discredit football, and they do not even realize it."
Fans have expressed their disbelief at the absence of the five-time Ballon d'Or winners on a night where football's elite players have gathered to support one another.
