Barcelona pulls Messi from FIFA awards ceremony | kuwaittimes

Lionel Messi

Barcelona pulls Messi from FIFA awards ceremony

January 09, 2017 | 09:46 p.m EDT

Lionel Messi

ZURICH: Lionel Messi will not attend the FIFA awards ceremony later, when Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to be named the world's best player for 2016. Barcelona says it decided Messi would skip the event in Zurich and be "prioritizing preparations" for a match tomorrow.

Messi's teammates, including Neymar, who could be named in a World XI voted for by players, will also not travel. Ronaldo is favored to win his fourth FIFA player award after helping Portugal and Real Madrid become European champions last year. Messi has five FIFA best player awards and has been runner-up in all other years since 2007. Barcelona hosts Athletic Bilbao tomorrow in the Copa del Rey. The defending champions lost the first leg 2-1 in Bilbao. - AP

January 09, 2017 09:46 PM

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