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Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has been named the Best Men’s Player at The Best FIFA Football Awards on Monday evening, fighting off competition from fellow nominees Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah. The award caps off an incredible year for Modric, who won his fourth Champions League title with Real Madrid in May, before leading his country to a World Cup final in July and being crowned UEFA Men’s Player of the Year last month. The Best Men’s Player of the Year award, formerly named the Fifa World Player of the Year, has long been dominated by both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but Barcelona forward Messi failed to make the shortlist for this years award for the first time since 2006. Neither player was present in London on Monday.

Salah's goal in Liverpool's Premier League clash against Everton was voted the best goal from last season Mohamed Salah has beaten Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo to the 2018 Puskas Award with his strike against Everton last December. The FIFA accolade for the Liverpool star came as a surprise to many, with Gareth Bale heavily tipped to win the prize following his acrobatic overhead kick that gave Real Madrid the lead in last season's Champions League final. The Egyptian also had strong competition from Cristiano Ronaldo for his impressive finish against current club Juventus in April, a goal that was awarded UEFA goal of the season. In total, there were 10 goals nominated for the award, but Salah’s strike in the Merseyside derby was announced as the winner at a ceremony in London on Monday evening. The goal saw Salah shrug off two players on the right-hand side of the penalty area before curling in a beautiful effort into the top corner of the net from an

Real Madrid once more weighed heavily in the pick of football's stars for 2018, contributing four current players as well as the new Juve signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both been named in the FIFPro World XI, but Mohamed Salah and Neymar did not make the cut. World Cup winners Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane and N'Golo Kante were included with Manchester United star Paul Pogba missing out. Kante's Chelsea team-mate Eden Hazard features in a four-man forward line, with David de Gea the only other Premier League star included. The Manchester United man was curiously included in goal ahead of Thibaut Courtois, despite the Real Madrid and Belgium shot-stopper winning the Best Goalkeeper gong earlier in the ceremony. Salah was another to miss out, having made the three-man shortlist for Best Player which was eventually won by Luka Modric. Modric, who won the Golden Ball at the World Cup for his performances in Croatia's run to the final, is named

The two stars set a poor example by choosing to skip Monday's award show in London, with the men's best player prize won by Luka Modric As the nominees and attendees arrived at London’s Royal Festival Hall for FIFA’s The Best awards ceremony, many took the time to acknowledge the throngs of young local fans who’d made the trip to see their heroes in the flesh. There was Kylian Mbappe, the World Cup’s hottest young talent, posing for selfies. And there was Sergio Ramos autographing a Real Madrid fan’s shirt. Five-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner Marta posed with the Best Women's player award alongside the grinning Men's winner, Luka Modric. It doesn’t take much but it means a lot. Talk to anyone and they will have a story about the first time they encountered a footballer for an autograph or a photograph. Those are lifelong memories. They create the strongest possible bond between a fan and a player. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two most

After almost six goalless hours, the former Real Madrid man opened his account with a double to help his side to another victory Cristiano Ronaldo thanked his Juventus team-mates for helping him through a dry spell after he scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Sassuolo. The 33-year-old failed to find the net in his first three Serie A matches following a €112million transfer from Real Madrid in July before finally breaking his duck on Sunday. He scored from close range after 50 minutes to break the deadlock and then followed up with a second 15 minutes later, angling in a drive to secure the points for Massimiliano Allegri's men. Ronaldo praised the way Juventus broke down a stubborn visiting defence and admitted that his failure to find the net had been starting to play on his mind. "I'm very happy, we started well," he told Mediaset. "Sassuolo defend well, but we put in an intense performance and deserved to win. "I really wanted to scor

The Portuguese superstar is up and running as a Bianconeri player, with his account opened during a Serie A clash with Sassuolo on Sunday Cristiano Ronaldo has ended a 320-minute wait for his first Juventus goal by netting against Sassuolo. The Portuguese superstar secured a €100 million (£89m/$116m) move to Turin over the summer after opting to bring a nine-year stint with Real Madrid to a close. He arrived in Italy as one of the most prolific marksmen of all time, but has had to be patient in a bid to open his account for the Bianconeri. That wait has now come to a close, with Ronaldo finding the target in his fourth Serie A outing. His barren run had stretched beyond the 300-minute mark during a goalless first-half at the Allianz Stadium, but he did not have to wait long to make his mark after the interval. In the 50th minute, he found himself in the right place at the right time to prod home. Sassuolo made a mess of clearing their lines from a corner, with the bal

The Gunners star has vowed to continue making his own mark in English football, expressing a desire on his part to become an iconic creative influence Mesut Ozil is aware of comparisons to Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp but insists he is determined to secure legend status in his own right at Emirates Stadium. As a creative influence who can make the game look easy at times, the German playmaker falls into the same talent bracket as the iconic Dutchman. Bergkamp starred in north London for nine years between 1995 and 2006, scoring 120 goals and winning three Premier League titles. Ozil, who has seen as much criticism during his time in England as he has praise, has some way to go before he can claim to enjoy a similar standing at Arsenal, but the 29-year-old is out to prove his worth. He told the club’s  official website : “The fans have backed me ever since I arrived five years ago and because of that, I’ve been able to play in my preferred style. “I always want to cont

The Chelsea defender took to Twitter to offer his tongue-in-cheek response to the official fantasy competition after he went without recognition Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso has humorously called out the official Fantasy Premier League after they failed to credit him for his assist for Willian’s goal in his side’s 4-1 defeat of Cardiff. The Blues overcame Sol Bamba’s early strike to run rampant in the final quarter of their clash at Stamford Bridge, with Eden Hazard netting a hat-trick to ensure Maurizio Sarri’s side kept their unbeaten start to the season intact. Alonso however was not credited by the league’s fantasy football website for his cut-back delivery to Willian following a glancing deflection off a Cardiff defender. The Spain international, clearly perturbed by the failure to attribute his efforts correctly, took to Twitter to offer his tongue-in-cheek rebuke to the official feed.

The Portuguese superstar finally found his way onto the scoresheet as the Serie A champions defeated Sassuolo, to the delight of his many admirers Cristiano Ronaldo has scored his first and second goals for Juventus, netting twice in their 2-1 defeat of Sassuolo. The Portuguese striker, who joined the Serie A champions from Real Madrid, took 320 minutes to break his drought in Italy before finally finding his way onto the scoresheet at the Allianz Stadium. And he wasted no time in getting his second, netting again within 15 minutes of his opener to set Juve on the path to a fourth straight victory. Given the wait for the man considered to be one of the modern game’s defining greats to open his tally, jubilant reactions have emerged across social media in response to Ronaldo’s double, the second of which took his career league tally to 400.

Friday's Ligue 1 success set a club record for the former Dortmund boss, who is off to a flying start in Paris Thomas Tuchel has set a new Paris Saint-Germain record after winning each of his first six competitive matches in charge. PSG beat Saint-Etienne 4-0 at the Parc des Princes on Friday to extend a perfect start to the 2018-19 Ligue 1 season under their new head coach. Neymar was rested for the game and Kylian Mbappe was suspended but goals from Julian Draxler, Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria and Moussa Diaby earned a comfortable victory. PSG's latest win adds to Ligue 1 successes collected against Caen, Guingamp, Angers and Nimes, as well as a 4-0 demolition of Monaco in the Trophee des Champions. Tuchel's men move six points clear of nearest rivals Dijon ahead of Tuesday's trip to Liverpool in their first Champions League match under the German's stewardship. Carlo Ancelotti previously held the record for most successive wins at the start of his

The midfielder has done little to silence the rumours surrounding his future but his manager does not get the sense he wants to go Jose Mourinho does not believe Paul Pogba wants to leave Manchester United because the midfielder has "never" asked for a transfer. Barcelona are said to be targeting the 25-year-old amid reports he wants to leave United in January and has a bad relationship with his coach. The France star only aided the constant speculation when he failed to rule out a January exit from Old Trafford last week . However, Mourinho has no reason to believe the World Cup winner has his heart set on leaving. "Paul came back after the World Cup the week before we started the Premier League," he told reporters. "We are together two months or so. He never told me he wants to leave. Never. He never told me he wants to leave. "I can only comment on what is real for me, not in what I read, not in what I listen. I have no direct relation

The Manchester United manager hit out at a supposed agenda within the media while defending the playing time given to the England striker Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has slammed his critics in an astonishing rant centred around the playing time of Marcus Rashford. Rashford's lack of starts at Old Trafford has been a hot topic in recent days after the 20-year-old scored in both of England's matches over the international break, with Jamie Carragher among those suggesting he needs to leave United to reach his full potential. He has played three times this season, though he is yet to complete 90 minutes, though he has already made over 125 appearances for the club, scoring 32 goals. Mourinho has been accused of not giving the United academy product enough chances to showcase his talent since taking over the Red Devils in 2016. And the Portuguese launched an impassioned defence of his usage of the forward ahead of Saturday's clash with Watford - a match

The summer signing from Sampdoria is yet to start for the Gunners but could less the defensive burden on the Swiss midfielder if brought into the team Unai Emery’s remit as Arsenal head coach is simple; find the best system for the players he has at his disposal, push on in the Premier League and challenge for the Europa League. After a comprehensive pre-season and four league games the Spaniard will have already come to certain conclusions over specific partnerships - but there is an untested formula that looks likely to be unleashed in the coming games. Granit Xhaka has received plenty of criticism since he arrived in north London two seasons ago. His defensive frailties have been scrutinised due to several high profile errors and misplaced passes which have led to goals. Xhaka was described as a ‘box to box’ midfielder by Arsene Wenger when he first joined, before the Frenchman later admitted that the 25-year-old is a ‘deep lying playmaker’. The confusion over Switzerland

The French striker has often had to fight for recognition at Real Madrid, but he is back in the spotlight following a summer of change at the Bernabeu Real Madrid would be a better team if Cristiano Ronaldo was still on their books. There is not an argument to be had there. There is no way that any side becomes more complete after parting with a five-time Ballon d’Or winner with over 600 career goals to his name. It is, however, possible to argue that individuals within the Santiago Bernabeu stand to benefit from the absence of a modern day icon. Ronaldo, throughout his nine years in Madrid, was a larger-than-life presence who was the producer, director and star of his own sporting soap opera. Others would get air time, but they were little more than extras in the grand scheme of things. That situation has changed. A leading man has been written out of the script, allowing a supporting cast to step into the spotlight and take the storyline in a different direction. Ch

The Napoli defender will lock horns with the Portuguese superstar at some point this season and says "defensive" Serie A does not suit his style Cristiano Ronaldo has been warned by former Real Madrid team-mate Raul Albiol that he will struggle to get 40 goals for Juventus this season. The Portuguese superstar has grown accustomed to hitting that mark during a remarkable career which has seen him redefine the art of goalscoring. Ronaldo has broken through the 40-goal barrier in each of his last eight campaigns, with 50-plus recorded six times and more than 60 efforts notched on two occasions. A record-breaking spell in Spain has, however, been swapped for a stint in Italy with the reigning Serie A champions. The 33-year-old is yet to get off the mark through three fixtures and Albiol, who spent four years alongside Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu before heading to Napoli, expects one of the best in the business to find the going tough in new surroundings. The S

The Italy legend has taken a back seat to the France international and the PSG boss is likely to stick with the latter Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel revealed Alphonse Areola is in pole position to be the club's number one goalkeeper over Gianluigi Buffon. Italian great Buffon left Serie A champions Juventus for PSG as a free agent at the end of the season and the 40-year-old started the first three matches of the Ligue 1 campaign. However, Buffon has since taken a back seat to France international and PSG academy graduate Areola in the last three games and Tuchel is likely to stick with the 25-year-old. Areola had previously revealed his determination to win the job amid new contract talks with the club and, according to Tuchel, appears to have an excellent chance to do just that.  "Yes I chose. The decision is not final but I told Alphonse that he was in my opinion in pole position to be number 1," Tuchel told RMC Sports. "He comes from

The World Cup winner says that he doesn't care about The Best, so his international colleagues being snubbed is not a problem Olivier Giroud has dismissed the importance of The Best FIFA Men's Player award and is adamant a Frenchman or Luka Modric has to win this year's Ballon d'Or for their respective World Cup exploits. FIFA revealed the three-man shortlist for their individual gong on Monday , with Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah and Modric the three nominated. Many were surprised by the fact Lionel Messi and all of France's World Cup-winning squad were overlooked, with Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe perhaps particularly unlucky given their strong respective seasons. Giroud was stunned, yet he does not feel FIFA's award has any relevance in football, with the Ballon d'Or the main prize in his eyes. "It is very surprising, but, to be honest, I do not attach importance to this trophy," Giroud told  Le Parisien  . "I'm on

The choice to give the Croatia international the award caused a stir, but the Blancos defender has backed his team-mate over the Juventus forward Sergio Ramos insists that Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric deserved to win the UEFA Player of the Year award ahead of those with "more marketing", such as Cristiano Ronaldo. Modric's win sparked controversy in Italy, with Ronaldo's representative, Jorge Mendes, blasting the snub as "ridiculous and shameful". However, Ramos believes that Modric, who played a key role in the club's Champions League victory, deserved the award over the Portuguese. Indeed, the midfielder's performances at the World Cup seemed to back up UEFA's decision, the ex-Tottenham midfielder guiding his Croatia side to their first ever final, where they lost to France. Portugal, meanwhile, fell to Uruguay in the Round of 16. "There are few players that I am as proud of having in my team as [Modric]," said Ramo

Asked whether he favoured his club or international team-mates, the midfielder had plenty of praise for both the stars Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest player of all-time but 2018 is the year of Luka Modric, according to Croatia and Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic. Modric claimed UEFA's Player of the Year award and he is on the three-man shortlist for FIFA's The Best honour after helping Real Madrid to a third successive Champions League title before reaching the World Cup final with Croatia. Barcelona superstar and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, however, was controversially overlooked by FIFA – frmer Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah also in the running. Rakitic is team-mates with Messi and is under no illusions about the 31-year-old's standings in the game but the Barca midfielder insists Modric – who won the World Cup Golden Ball – is deserving of this year's honours. "There are seasons that you can be bette

The ex-Arsenal man believes the Uruguayan showed enough at the World Cup to suggest he can make a big impression with the Gunners Gilberto Silva believes Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira "makes things easy for himself" on the pitch and is hoping he can have a similar impact to that of N’Golo Kante at Chelsea. Many have suggested that the Gunners have failed to replace former defensive midfielder and World Cup winner Gilberto after he left the club in 2008, with the likes of Mathieu Flamini, Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny all featuring. Torreira arrived from Italian side Sampdoria for a fee in the region of £26 million ($34m) after an impressive World Cup campaign with Uruguay and Gilberto is hoping that the north Londoners have finally found the perfect player to protect the back four. "I watched him [Torreira] in the World Cup,” Gilberto said.  "He did a very good job. If you see the way he plays, he plays the game very simply, he makes things eas

The U.S. national team spent Friday night chasing Brazilians and learning a harsh, but needed lesson from a better, more experienced side If June's 1-1 draw with eventual World Cup winner France was a confidence booster for the U.S. national team's young generation, then Friday's 2-0 to Brazil was the harsh but necessary reminder of just how unforgiving international soccer can be at the highest level. The Brazilians toyed with the USMNT for the better part of 90 minutes at MetLife Stadium, displaying the obligatory level of quality you come to expect from the Selecao. This Brazil team isn't just good, it's also experienced, with Tite's side featuring many of the same players who started at the 2018 World Cup, including Neymar, who raced around the field like a player eager to put on some highlight reel plays on a nervous U.S. defense. The Americans had some fleeting moments, and Weston McKennie will kick himself for not finishing at least one of the han

The Manchester United manager's perfectionism can rub many up the wrong way, including the organiser of the International Champions Cup Jose Mourinho has been branded a "pain in the butt" by one of the organisers of the International Champions Cup. Mourinho was unhappy during the tournament this summer, insisting that he could not utilise a full-strength squad due to the World Cup commitments faced by his players. And ICC organiser Charlie Stillitano admits that the Portuguese can be difficult to deal with. "Yeah we had a few cheeky words together," Stillitano told  ESPN . "He's a good man and he's been really good to us and I understand him better than most I'd say. "I think managers that I know see us as the guys who take them abroad. And for them the reality is that they take it very seriously. The managers take it very seriously. And the commercial people take it very serious for their business to grow their brand. "