FIFA president Gianni Infantino is furious with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for their failure to attend this year's The Best awards ceremony in London.
The game's governing body welcomed many of the world's biggest footballers to Royal Festival Hall last week, but the absence of Ronaldo and Messi was very much an elephant in the room.
The Juventus and Barcelona stars, who have shared the award equally over the last decade, cited schedule clashes but it is widely believed they chose not to show up after learning the main prize would go to Luka Modric.
However, that excuse may not fly in the future if Infantino gets his way. According to Spanish newspaper AS, the FIFA chief is instructing lawyers on ways they can legally obligate finalists to attend the event, essentially forcing them to come.
Ronaldo eventually finished second in a ten-man shortlist while Messi came a surprisingly low fifth with under ten per cent of the votes. Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (third) and PSG's Kylian Mbappe (fourth) finished above the Argentine.
Not only did Ronaldo miss out on the main Men's Player of the Year award but also the Puskas Award, given to the perceived best goal of the year. As it was fan voted, Salah's strike against Everton won with over 30 per cent from a list of ten.
It is assumed that most of Salah's votes came from a combination both Liverpool and Egypt fans.
Ronaldo, whose bicycle-kick goal against Juventus was up for the award, later said: 'Salah deserved to win the Puskas award, it was a good goal. But let's be honest, let's not lie to ourselves, my goal was the best.'
FIFA have spent a lot of money promoting their newly formed 'The Best' awards since breaking a six-year tie with France Football's prestigious and historic Ballon d'Or in 2016. It's aim is to revive the FIFA World Player of the Year.
Infantino is acutely aware that Ronaldo and Messi are key figures in FIFA's attempts to establish the awards and is determined to make sure they do not have to deal with the awkward situation again.
Their absence became all the more obvious when they were both selected in the Fifpro Team of the Year. A photo of the team features hosts Ronaldinho and Michael Ballack, who had to accept their trophies on their behalf.
Parthlm10
279
Messi and Ronaldo have half of the world's population on their side as fans. You should watch your mouth before speaking nonsense. Keep your own outrage to yourself and they don't need your shitty awards to prove themselves as goats. Instead you should be apologising to them
ZaidShah
251
These guys are the best goats of all times they will be best forever & u jokers are disrespecting the legends & saying crap how can u expect them to atten some shitty award ceremony with no justice.
Yorokiri
235
FIFA should go and sleep with their sentimental award of the year... without MESSI and CR7 present it's just a piece of dirty cups
ORUVAL2
212
Why should he be? He didn't invite neither Messi nor Ronaldo... he forgot that those two players don't attend ceremonies, they are the reasons why occasion like that are organised... they come to collect what they have spent a whole year working for... not to come sit and watch others take their awards... You just learnt a lesson. Next time ask their opinion before inviting them...
Ajay_Maan
156
Wait what did he just said they snubbed fifa awards, my ass. The man who misses first 6 to 7 matches due to ban and still manages to score 26 goals in 27 matches in a league like Laliga, the man who single handedly takes his team into biggest ever tournament by being the second highest goal scorer in the world cup qualifiers, the man who single handedly made his club win 3 champions league in a row by being the highest goal scorer in the tournament, the man who became the first player to score a hattrick against spain in world cup and took his team into the last 16 again being the second highest goal scorer in the tournament, the man who is the sole scorer in the club world cup final and brings glory to his club again, the man who did everything right in every place but just because he left real madrid and started on a new run to achieve his goals his dreams gets snubbed in the fifa best awards, the biggest robbery ever should come and see getting disrespect and the awards which he deserved going to someone else, sorry but if that's what you want then that can't happen. Always stands for CR7[PIZZA][PIZZA]
DemonKing_LUCIFER
97
Fifa lost all credibility for me when they gave... Puskas Award to Salah.. Best Goalkeeper to Courtois... Best Goalkeeper in World 11 De Gea.. Best RB Dani Alves... They are moaning about LM10 and Cr7 not attending but they should take a moment to see their own errors 1st...
SINGAM23
8
Luka Modric has already been selected (and, what's the need for unsatisfied GOATs to attend the ceremony... knowingly the event won't profits them