Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said football is "becoming more like show business" after Real Madrid star Luka Modric was crowned The Best FIFA Men's Player for 2018 in London on Monday.
New Juventus signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Barca talisman Lionel Messi both missed the awards ceremony, the likes of which Valverde clearly isn't a fan, judging by quotes he gave in a Tuesday press conference. He spoke of the vapid nature of awards shows and the hand it plays in running the news cycle:
"Now everything is magnified. There are so many awards, so many ceremonies and every ceremony is an ego-trip for the organiser.