The best again, but for how long?

This was Messi's first individual gong since 2015. Yet, it felt a little flat - a kind of weird acknowledgement that podium outings at these glitziest of galas from now may not be as frequent

This month 19 years ago, a frail 13-year-old Lionel Messi left his hometown of Rosario for Barcelona, the city and club that would mark him out as the greatest talent of our times, of all times. This past Monday, on a night of redemption and razzmatazz, he was named by Fifa the world’s best, the first such award to go with a record-tying five Ballons d’Or.

Where was ever the doubt? Virgil van Dijk was a worthy contender, the Liverpool defender who inspired his team to a Champions League crown and tamed offences with his understated skill-set of ceaseless discipline and