He may not have been present at this week’s ‘The Best’ FIFA awards in London, but Lionel Messi should have still walked away with the men’s player of the 2017-18 season gong.

That’s the view of Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde.

On the night, Real Madrid schemer Luka Modric scooped the top prize, beating the likes of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.

But, despite that, the Argentina icon’s coach is backing his man to the hilt.