The-best---messi

The 2019 FIFA FIFPro Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year were announced at a gala celebration held at the Teatro all Scala in Milan on Monday evening.

Lionel Messi beat off competition from Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk to take the Men’s award. The FIFA Awards became a stand-alone event in 2016 and Cristiano Ronaldo took home the first two trophies. Last year the winner was the Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric.

Messi won the World’s Player of the Year award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015 when it was presented jointly as the FIFA/Ballon d’Or.

A separate award again, the Ballon d’Or winner will be announced in Paris on December 2 and it looks like a battle between Messi and UEFA Player of the Year, Virgil van Dijk.