Lionel Messi's fifth place finish in the Ballon d'Or rankings proves the award "is a lie", Barcelona star Jordi Alba says.
The Argentine finished outside the top two for the first time since 2007 as the decade-long stronghold he and Cristiano Ronaldo have had on the trophy came to an end, with Luka Modric being named the world's best player in 2018.
While Ronaldo came in second in the vote, Messi dropped behind World Cup winners Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, which Barca boss Ernesto Valverde dubbed "absurd".
After seeing Messi inspire the Catalan side to a 4-0 win over Espanyol with two free-kick goals and an assist on Saturday, Alba says there is no debate that his 31-year-old team-mate is still the best around.