Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis has said the exclusion of Lionel Messi from the shortlist for the Best Fifa Men’s Player award ruins the credibility of the accolade.
Messi is not included on the list containing Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah.
But Luis believes Messi – who won La Liga and Copa del Rey with Barcelona last season – to be the best player in the world, despite not making the three-man shortlist.
“The award is for the best player in the world. For me, today, it’s Messi. Just like in previous years,” he told Globoesporte, via AS.
“When he’s not there, it loses credibility. It doesn’t matter who wins the World Cup or the Champions League. He’s the best.”
Messi scored the most of any player in the top five leagues last season, with 45 in 54 games. Salah, the second-highest scorer, hit 44 in 52. Cristiano Ronaldo scored 44 in 44 – statistically the most impressive – while Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane have identical records, with 41 in 48 matches.
45 – Lionel Messi finished the 2017-18 campaign as the top scoring player in the Top 5 European Leagues (all competitions); netting one more than both Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo. Sensations. pic.twitter.com/Uw9BZ919K8
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 27, 2018
That said, Ronaldo won the Champions League with Madrid, and scored 15 goals in the competition in the process, though he didn’t score after the quarter-final stages.
Modric meanwhile was crucial to both that Champions League win and Croatia’s run all the way to the final of the World Cup. The Croatian magician won the Golden Ball as the competition’s best player.
And Salah, of course, enjoyed a true breakout season with Liverpool, firing them to the Champions League final – he also won the Golden Boot domestically.
The post Lionel Messi exclusion ruins credibility of The Best award, says Filipe Luis appeared first on Squawka News.
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