Despite missing out to Cristiano Ronalod, Mohammed Salah and Luka Modric in the shortlist for the main award, Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi will attend The Best FIFA Football Awards.
However the 31 year old could still win himself a place in the FIFA World XI and potentially take home the award for best goal of 2018 for his strike for Argentina against Nigeria.
This is the first time that Messi has not featured on the shortlist for this award, but in a move showcasing his maturuity, he will still make the trip to London to attend the ceremony.
This is in contrast to what Cristiano Ronaldo did last month. Ronaldo snubbed the UEFA awards after realizing that he had not been named player of the year.
The Barcelona magician sees his attendance as a mark of respect for the nominees and comes as another sign he is embracing his role as Barecelona’s captain.
Messi inherited the armband on a permanent basis this season after legendary midfielder Andres Iniesta left the club to go to Japan