Despite Barcelona's Champions League collapse, Lionel Messi was and is The Best

When Luka Modric won Fifa's The Best trophy for the finest footballer of 2018, it was recognition for a player who had shone for Real Madrid in the Champions League and for Croatia at the World Cup. But he was not the best player in the world last year.

That man was Lionel Messi. The Barcelona forward had been brilliant as the Catalans claimed a La Liga and Copa del Rey double in 2017-18, but was punished for the club's early European exit against Roma and a difficult World Cup with Argentina. And he finished fifth – behind Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe.

Messi's low placing made Fifa's prize something of a laughing stock as fresh questions were raised over the criteria for the individual award. This year, the Argentine is back where he belongs. He is the best and now, also, The Best.

The 32-year-old forward beat Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo to the award, winning it for the first time since its inception – and separation from France Football's Ballon d'Or – in 2016.

It was just reward for a spectacular season with Barcelona. Messi netted 51 goals in 50 games for the Catalan club in 2018-19, many of those superb efforts, as he finished as Europe's top scorer.

He was also racked up more assists and more Man of the Match awards than anyone else, created more chances, scoring more free-kicks and more goals from outside the box than any other player.

In the end, it was not quite enough for the Argentine to come good on his pre-season wish of bringing back the Champions League trophy to Camp Nou, though he had scored 12 goals in the continental competition as well and Barca were close, losing out only in their semi-final second leg against Liverpool at Anfield despite winning the first game 3-0.

Barca were also defeated 2-1 by Valencia in the final of the Copa del Rey later in May as the season ended in disappointment, yet his contribution had been immense. They may have only won La Liga in the end, but thanks to Messi, Valverde's side had been just three games from a historic treble.

This award will not make up for that disappointment, but it does at least recognise that no player in Europe did more in 2018-19. An individual prize, for the finest footballer in the world. Lionel Messi, simply The Best.