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Lionel Messi was crowned The Best FIFA Men's player at the awards ceremony in Milan for the first time since the award was instituted in 2016. Having claimed the La Liga title and emerging the top scorer in the Champions League, he was always in contention for the prize.
The finalists were the usual suspects in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, on this occasion joined by Liverpool and Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk. There were plenty of expectations for van Dijk to nick it but it wasn't his night.
Instituted in 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo has won The Best Men's Player Award twice before Luka Modric nicked it last year. The winner of the Women's Award last year was Brazil's iconic Marta, but previous winners also include Lieke Martens and Carli Lloyd.
Megan Rapinoe in typical fashion took to stage having won The Best FIFA Women's Player award spoke about equal pay and racism as she accepted the prize.
Jurgen Klopp was picked as The Best FIFA Men's Coach for his stellar chase of Manchester City in the league, and the superb campaign in Europe that led to Liverpool winning the Champions League. His counterpart on the Women's side was the two time World Cup winning coach Jill Ellis.
The Best FIFA Men's Player
Winner: Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
It's not surprising for Lionel Messi to win any individual honour. He scored 36 goals in the 2018/19 season and racked up 13 assists as well. Apart from leading his team to the semi-finals of the Champions League and Copa Del Rey, he also won the La liga with Barcelona.
Finalists: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus & Portugal) and Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool & Netherlands)
Other candidates: Frenkie De Jong (Barcelona & Netherlands), Matthijs De Ligt (Juventus & Netherlands), Harry Kane (Tottenham & England), Eden Hazard (Real Madrid & Belgium), Sadio Mane (Liverpool & Senegal), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt), and Kylian Mbappe (PSG & France)
The Best FIFA Women's Player
Winner: Megan Rapinoe (Reign FC & USWNT)
Having won the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot with the USWNT, Rapinoe added to her immense credentials as the captain of the World Cup winning team in the summer.
Finalists: Lucy Bronze (Lyon & England) and Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride & USWNT)
Other Candidates: Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars & USWNT), Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona & Norway), Ada Hegerberg (Lyon), Amandine Henry (Lyon & France), Sam Kerr (Chicago Red Stars & Australia), Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit & USWNT), Wendie Renard (Lyon & France), Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal & Netherlands), and Ellen White (Manchester City & England)
The Best FIFA Men's Coach
Winner: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
The coach that led his team's superb comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League to lead them to their first Champions League title since that incredible night in 2005. He also led his team's consistent chase for the Premier League title against Manchester City and Making it to 97 points but still falling painfully short,
Klopp thanked his team and support staff for the honour before also recognising the work of his peers. He finished his speech by announcing his participation in the Common Goal initiative.
Finalists: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), and Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham)
Other candidates: Djamel Belmadi (Algeria), Didier Deschamps (France), Marcelo Gallardo (Riverplate), Ricardo Gareca (Peru), Fernando Santos (Portugal), Eric Ten Hag (Ajax), and Tite (Brazil).
The Best FIFA Women's Coach
Winner: Jill Ellis (US Women's National Team)
The influential coach of the US Women's National Team became the first head coach ever to win two FIFA Women's World Cups. To make it more spectacular she took her team all the way twice in a row. The USWNT under her guidance scored 26 times in the World Cup and only conceded three times.
Finalists: Phil Neville (England), and Sarina Weigman (Netherlands)
Other candidates: Milena Bertolini (Italy), Peter Gerhardsson (Sweden), Futoshi Ikeda (Japan U20), Antonia Is Pinera (Spain U17), Joe Montemurro (Arsenal Women), Reynald Pedros (Olympique Lyon Feminin), Paul Riley (North Carolina Courage)
Other Award Winners:
The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper Award: Alisson Becker (Liverpool & Brazil)
The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper Award: Sari Van Veenendaal (Atletico Madrid and Netherlands)
FIFA Puskas Award: Daniel Zsori's stunning overhead kick for Debrecen v Ferencvaros.
FIFA Fairplay Award: Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United for letting Aston Villa equalise after they continued to play on and score despite Villa striker Jonathan Kodja being on the ground due to an injury.
FIFA Fans Award: Silvia Grecco, the mother who narrates football games to her blind and mildly autistic son Nickollas Grecco who is a dedicated Palmeiras supporter.
