Sports
09:32, 05-Dec-2018
Barcelona boss deems Messi's fifth place in Ballon d'Or 'absurd'
Updated
08:34, 08-Dec-2018
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Lionel Messi's fifth-place finish in this year's Ballon d'Or vote was absurd, his Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said on Tuesday.
Real Madrid's Croatia midfielder Luka Modric took the prize on Monday in Paris after winning the Champions League and being named the player of the tournament at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The 33-year-old's triumph ended Messi's and Cristiano Ronaldo's decade-long reign, with Juventus striker Christian Ronaldo finishing second and Messi fifth in a vote by 180 journalists.
“I will not get into discussing the inconsistencies of the prize,” Valverde told reporters.
“We congratulate Modric for winning the Ballon d'Or but Messi being in fifth place is absurd.”
A giant screen displays the ranking of the 4 best players of the year during the 2018 Ballon d'Or award ceremony at the Grand Palais in Paris, December 3, 2018. /VCG Photo
A giant screen displays the ranking of the 4 best players of the year during the 2018 Ballon d'Or award ceremony at the Grand Palais in Paris, December 3, 2018. /VCG Photo
Messi, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, led Barca to a La Liga-Copa del Rey double last season but his national team Argentina went out of the World Cup in the last 16 to eventual champions France.
The Barca forward also won a record fifth European Golden Shoe after finishing with 34 top-flight goals last season.
Modric got 753 points followed by Ronaldo on 476, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann with 414 and Paris St-Germain's Kylian Mbappe fourth with 347, ahead of Messi on 280.
Source(s): Reuters