'I would have liked them to be here' - Modric wanted Ronaldo, Messi at awards ceremony The Juventus and Barcelona stars skipped the FIFA awards and the Real Madrid man admitted he wanted them present Luka Modric said he would have liked Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi present to see him win the FIFA Best Men's Player award. The Real Madrid and Croatia star took the prize ahead of Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah in London, but the Juventus forward and Messi skipped Monday's awards ceremony. Modric, who helped Madrid win the Champions League before leading Croatia to the World Cup final, said he wanted the duo at the event.