FIFA's Gala was full of talking points, with the FIFA Women's World Cup and its stars playing a central role in the awards ceremony.
The gala kicked off with the FIFA Puskas Award for the Best Goal. The first surprise of the evening came as Daniel Szori defeated Lionel Messi for the Award, which marks yet another time in which the talented Argentine misses out on this award.
Congratulations, Daniel Zsori
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Winner of the FIFA #Puskas Award 2019 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/sY8XDqgX8Z
The next award to be handed out was the award for the Best Male coach. Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool's coach, collected the award with a big smile -and without a hat- on his face.
Congratulations, Jurgen Klopp
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Winner of #TheBest FIFA Men's Coach 2019 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/H9Qzlc2DHJ
The next award was the one for the Best Fan, collected by Brazilian mom Silvia Grecco, who's love to her son and Palmeiras sees her narrating all the games to her blind kid. A truly touching moment for all those in attendance.
Congratulations, Silvia Grecco
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Winner of the FIFA Fan Award 2019 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/oJ5Wk2p9Vo
The next award went to Sari Van Veenendaal, who won the first-ever The Best Award for a female goalkeeper. Her antics with the Dutch side in the 2019 FIFA World Cup were enough to see her obtain this trophy.
Congratulations, @SarivVeenendaal
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Winner of #TheBest FIFA Women's Goalkeeper 2019 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/KlkfRqdFgZ
Next up, Leeds United's boss Marcelo Bielsa was handed the FIFA Fair Play award for making his players concede a goal right after scoring one when an opponent was injured.
Congratulations, Marcelo Bielsa & @LUFC squad
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Winner of the FIFA Fair Play Award 2019 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/aPknLAKLYZ
One of the historic moments came when the first female FIFPro XI was revealed. Sari Van Veenendaal, Lucy Bronze, Nilla Fischer, Kelley O'Hara, Wendie Renard, Julie Ertz, Amandine Henry, Rose Lavelle, Marta, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe were included in this stellar lineup.
That team though
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Your @FIFPro Women's @World11 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/A6xK8k5XrK
Next up, Alisson Becker was handed the award for The Best goalkeeper. The goalkeeper may have taken a break from the ceremony, because he delayed a few moments to pick up the award. This was the most hilarious moment of the evening.
Congratulations, @Alissonbecker
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Winner of #TheBest FIFA Men's Goalkeeper 2019 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/f163LZbOfx
The award for The Best Female Coach went to the USWNT tactician Jill Ellis, who capped a massive career with her back-to-back FIFA Women's World Cup title this summer.
Congratulations, Jill Ellis
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Winner of #TheBest FIFA Women's Coach 2019 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/FQOQkCvIxp
Next up, the FIFA FIFPro Men's World XI was officially revealed after the leak that made headlines hours ago. Alisson, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Virgil Van Dijk, Matthijs De Ligt, Frenkie De Jong, Luka Modric, Eden Hazard, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (absent from the gala) were included in the lineup.
What a team
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Your @FIFPro Men's @World11 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/FvJKj1a62w
The big award of the evening went to none other than Lionel Messi, who beat Virgil Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo to the prize.
Congratulations, #LeoMessi
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Winner of #TheBest FIFA Men's Player 2019 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/MKh2wV5T1M
Last, but not least, Megan Rapinoe claimed the Award for the Best Female Player of the Year. Her inspirational speech included a heads up to eliminate racism and "to use the game to change the world for better."
Congratulations, #MeganRapinoe
— #TheBest (@FIFAcom) September 23, 2019
Winner of #TheBest FIFA Women's Player 2019 #TheBest | #FIFAFootballAwards pic.twitter.com/cokynhMRCX