RONALDO GIVES CEREMONY A MISS

Portuguese opted to stay at home and read a book as Messi swept another gong at Fifa's Best Awards

DESPITE only being a couple of hours down

the road from Turin, the Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend the star-studded awards ceremony in Milan, which saw Messi awarded Men's Player of the Year ahead of Ronaldo and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.

The Argentinian star enjoyed yet another wonderful year in which the goals kept on flowing.

In 2018-19, Messi notched 54 goals in 58 appearances at a rate of 86 minutes per goal. The Barcelona man also provided 20 assists for his team-mates.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, didn't get anywhere near the scoring record of his counterpart last season.

His 31 goals in 47 appearances may be impressive in comparison to mere mortals, but the 34-yearold was some way off Messi.

In another stinging blow to Ronaldo, Monday night's victory means that Messi has won the Best Award for a sixth time, one better than the Juventus man.

Instead of mixing with footballing royalty in Milan, Ronaldo stayed at home and read a book. Posting a picture on Instagram, he said: “Patience and persistence are two characteristics that differentiate the professional from the amateur.

“Everything that is big today has started small. You can’t do everything, but do everything you can to make your dreams come true.

“And keep in mind that after night always comes dawn.”

Ronaldo did make the Men's Team of the Year at the awards, however, lining up with Messi and PSG star Kylian Mbappe as a forward trio.

Former Real Madrid teammates Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Luka Modric also made the eleven. None of Liverpool's star forwards Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino or Sadio Mane made the team.