Watch Ernesto Valverde call Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or snub an 'absurdity'

Real Madrid‘s Luka Modric was named the winner on Monday, the first time since 2007 that either Messi or arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t win the award.

Messi is coming off the back of a superlative 2017/18 season in which he almost singlehandedly led Barcelona to the La Liga title, in a league campaign where La Blaugrana lost just once, on the penultimate weekend. He finished the club season with 45 goals and 18 assists, topping Europe in both charts.