Modric and Marta win Best FIFA player 2018 awards

Real Madrid's Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has been named Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year for 2018, while Orlando Pride's Brazil forward Marta won the women's award.

Luka Modric, Didier Deschamps and Marta pose with their awards in the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, September 24, 2018.
Reuters

Luka Modric, Didier Deschamps and Marta pose with their awards in the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, September 24, 2018.

Real Madrid's Croatia midfielder Luka Modric was named Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year for 2018, while Orlando Pride's Brazil forward Marta won the women's award at a ceremony on Monday.

Modric won the Champions League with Real and then played a major role in Croatia's run to the World Cup final where they were beaten by France.

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"This award is not just mine. It is my team mates' from Real Madrid and Croatia. Without my coaches, I would not have won this and without my family I would not be the player I am today," said 33-year-old Modric.

Reuters

Luka Modric and his family pose with the Best FIFA Men's Player award in the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, September 24, 2018.

It is the first time since Brazilian Kaka's triumph in 2007 that the men's prize was not won by either Cristiano Ronaldo or Barcelona's Argentina forward Lionel Messi – neither of whom attended the ceremony at London's Royal Festival Hall.

Reuters

FIFA President Gianni Infantino presents Luka Modric with the Best Men's Player award, London, September 24, 2018.

Portugal international Ronaldo, who joined Juventus from Real Madrid in the close season, was second in this year's awards with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in third place.

The 32-year-old Marta, whose Orlando Pride team reached the the US National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) playoff semi-finals, had won the previous FIFA Women's Player of the Year award five times, most recently in 2010.

AFP

Orlando Pride and Brazil forward Marta receives her trophy for the Best FIFA Women's Player of 2018 Award during The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, on September 24, 2018 in London.

The Brazilian, who led her country to the Copa America title in April, beat Olympique Lyonnais pair Ada Hegerberg of Norway and Dzsenifer Marozsan of Germany to the award.

France's World Cup-winning manager Didier Deschamps took the Men's Coach of the Year award, with compatriot Reynald Pedros claiming the women's award after winning the Champions League with Lyon.

AP

France's Didier Deschamps receives the Best FIFA Men's Coach award during the ceremony of the Best FIFA Football Awards in the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, September 24, 2018.

Voting for the player and coach categories was conducted by national team captains and managers, selected journalists and, for the first time, an online poll of fans.

Real Madrid's Belgium international Thibaut Courtois won the Goalkeeper of the Year Award.

Reuters

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is presented with the FIFA Puskas award by Noel Gallagher and Didier Drogba, London, September 24, 2018.

Salah's goal for Liverpool against Merseyside rivals Everton in the Premier League won the Goal of the Year, which is voted for by fans, ahead of Gareth Bale's spectacular overhead kick for Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Peru's supporters won the FIFA Fan Award and German Lennart Thy, who plays for Turkish club BB Erzurumspor, won the FIFA Fair Play Award after donating stem cells to help a leukemia patient. 

AP

German football player Lennart Thy receives the Fair Play award during the ceremony of the Best FIFA Football Awards in the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, September 24, 2018.

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