He had initially accepted the invitation but Lionel Messi will not be present at FIFA's 'The Best' awards in London tonight.
The Barcelona forward has been snubbed from the Best FIFA Men's Player top three but is up for the Puskas Award and FIFPro XI and still looked set to be turning up for the ceremony.
However, things have changed and AS say that the Argentine ace is giving it a miss due to "personal reasons".
There aren't much specifics in regards to Messi's situation but he informed Barcelona, who in turn notified FIFA that their star player will not be there.
Messi's fellow five-time Ballon d'Or Cristiano Ronaldo will also not be attending, with Juventus having a midweek game against Bologna to prepare for on Wednesday.
Ronaldo has won 'The Best' Award for the first two years of its existence but his former teammate Luka Modric is favourite to scoop the gong after an exceptional 2018.
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Still, it's evident that the two titans of world football not showing up is a huge blow to FIFA and the credibility of their awards.
The Ballon d'Or would appear to be their priority, particularly with news emerging that the pair will be on the judging panel for a new award.
Messi, Ronaldo and numerous other past winners will all help decide the Kopa Award, which will be handed to the best under 21 player in the world, and is named after the very first Ballon d'Or winner from 1958, Raymond Kopa.
Topics: Football News, FC Barcelona, Football, FIFA, Lionel Messi, The Best
