‘Proud’ Klopp pips Pep to Best Fifa men’s coach of year title. Page 44

FIFA AWARDS: Liverpool boss sees of Guardiola and Pochettino

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was last night named men’s coach of the year at the Best Fifa awards in Milan as Lionel Messi picked up the men’s player award for a sixth time.

Klopp guided his side to Champions League glory last season, while the Reds narrowly missed out on the Premier League title, being pipped by Manchester City.

The German claimed the award ahead of Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, whose team Liverpool defeated in the Champions League final, and City’s Pep Guardiola, whose team finished one point ahead of the Reds in the title race.

Klopp said at the ceremony at Milan’s Teatro all Scala: “Mauricio – we won that game, that’s why I’m here, not you. That’s how football is, but we all know what an incredible job you did, what an incredible job Pep did, what so many coaches out there did.

“I have to say thank you to my outstanding club, Liverpool FC, to the owners, I have to say they gave me an incredible team, and I have to thank my team, because as a coach you only can be as good as your team is.

“I’m really proud of being the manager of such an incredible bunch of players.”

Klopp took the opportunity to reveal he had signed up to the Common Goal movement, in which members donate 1% of their salary to a charity which funds organisations around the world that use football to tackle social issues.

Barcelona star Messi saw off Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk to take the top prize.

The 32-year-old Argentinian had already won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015.

Messi helped Barcelona win La Liga and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

United States forward Megan Rapinoe, who won the best women’s player award, highlighted the racism, homophobia and inequalities that she said still exist in football.

She said: “Some of the stories that inspired me this year are (Manchester City forward) Raheem Sterling and (Napoli defender) Kalidou Koulibaly –their incredible performances on the field and their reaction to the disgusting racism they have to take.

“If we really want to have meaningful change, if everyone other than Sterling or Koulibaly was outraged, if everyone was outraged by the homophobia... We have such an incredible opportunity being professional footballers, so much success, an incredible platform.

“I ask everyone here, lend your platform to other people, share your success. We have a unique opportunity to use this game to actually change the world for better. I hope you take that to heart, do something, we have incredible power in this room.”

Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds were surprise winners at last night’s awards.

To the bemusement of many fans who have not always associated Leeds or Bielsa with fair play, the veteran Argentinian and his players were awarded the Fair Play Award for allowing Aston Villa to score against them in April.

Angry scenes broke out after Mateusz Klich scored for Leeds while Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia lay injured on the field. Bielsa insisted Leeds, despite the attempts of former defender Pontus Jansson to stop them, allow Villa to score immediately from the kick-off.

Captain Liam Cooper and fitness coach Benoit Delaval collected the award on Bielsa’s behalf at the ceremony. Fifa Fifpro Men’s Team of the Year: Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool/ Brazil).

Defenders: Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax and Juventus/netherlands), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid/spain), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool/netherlands), Marcelo (Real Madrid/brazil).

Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid/croatia), Frenkie de Jong (Ajax and Barcelona/netherlands), Eden Hazard (Chelsea and Real Madrid/ Belgium).

Forwards: Kylian Mbappe (Paris St Germain/france), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/portugal), Lionel Messi (Barcelona/argentina).

Pictures: Getty Images. Top: men’s coach of the year Jurgen Klopp gives his sppech; and Lionel Messi, top player for the sixth time.