The 2019 Fifa The Best Awards ceremony as it happened ⏪ | OneFootball

22:13 – They actually finished with some more ballet but we’ve seen enough. Ciao Milano!

22:11 – A brilliant, Gandhi-esque “be the change you want to see in the world” speech from Rapinoe closes the show. It’s been weird, it’s been fun, and now it’s over. Thank you and goodnight!

22:08 – A well deserved award for a player who was instrumental in her side’s World Cup triumph and a great ambassador for the sport off the field too.

22:05 – And the winner is … Megan Rapinoe!

22:04 – It’s now time for the final award of the night and we’re soon going to find out who the Women’s Player of the Year is.

22:03 – Fifa president Gianni Infantino has pledged to stamp racism out of football and make football stadiums safe places to visit for Iranian women tonight. Let’s hope he’s true to his word.

22:00 – But that’s the sixth Men’s Player of the Year award for Messi, which is a record. What a legend!

21:58 – Virgil van Dijk looked a bit shocked when Messi’s name was read out and we have to say, so did we.

21:57 – And the winner is … Lionel Messi!

21:55 – Fifa president Gianni Infantino is on stage to open the envelope.

21:52 – And now it’s the big one! They’re about to hand out the Men’s Player of the Year award. Messi, Ronaldo or Van Dijk? Let’s find out!

21:50 – Someone is going to have to explain to us how all those Real Madrid players got in there. Sorry, but, what?!

21:49 – And there it is!

21:46 – Looks like we’re about to learn who has made the 2019 Fifa World XI! But first, more ballet, obviously.

21:44 – Jose is now being asked who would represent planet Earth in an inter-planetary cup. Could this night get any more bonkers? Of course, The Special One has put himself forward to coach the team. We can just imagine him trying to park the space ship now.

21:39 – Jose Mourinho was given the honour of handing out the award, and it’s fair to say he kept his speech brief. “And the winner is … Jill Ellis!”

21:38 – Next up it’s time for Women’s Coach of the Year, which means it’s World Cup winner Jill Ellis up against Phil Neville and Sara Wiegman.

21:37 – After momentarily going AWOL, the Liverpool and Brazil shot-stopper is now on stage to accept his award. It’s been a great night for Liverpool so far, and it could be about to get even better.

21:36 – And the winner is … Alisson Becker!

21:35 – The award is going to be handed up by Brazil Women legend Marta.

21:33 – It’s time to hand out the award for Best Men’s Goalkeeper now! Will it be Alisson, Ederson or Ter Stegen?

21:32 – What a team that is!

21:26 – They’ve now got what is the first ever Fifa Women’s World XI on stage and it’s like a scene from Star Wars. This ceremony isn’t so bad after all!

21:26 – OK, now they’re showing a montage of the Women’s World Cup. This is more like it.

21:23 – This is all incredibly weird. It’s quite tough to watch and there’s still over 30 minutes to go.

21:22 – There’s now some football-themed opera on. They’re really starting to test the Onefootball newsroom’s patience.

21:20 – Yep.

21:19 – We have to admit, we did not see that one coming. Fabio Capello is now on stage talking about classical music. Because of course he is!

21:14 – The award has gone to Marcelo Bielsa and the Leeds United squad for allowing Aston Villa to score an uncontested equaliser in the Championship last season.

21:13 – They’re handing a Fair Play award out now. Javier Zanetti is on stage looking dapper.

21:06 – And it goes to the Netherlands’ Sari van Veenendaal!

We have a feeling there could be more prizes heading to the Dutch before the night is out.

21:06 – It’s now time for the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.

20:59 – They’ve just handed out a Fan of the Year award to a Brazilian woman called Silvia Grecco who commentates on Palmeiras matches for her blind son Nicolas. Beautiful stuff.

20:56 – That was a great acceptance speech from Kloppo, during which he announced that he has now joined the Common Goal initiative and will pledge 1% of his salary to charity. A great gesture!

20:53 – And the winner is … Jurgen Klopp!

20:51 – Now it’s time for the Coach of the Year award, which means it’s Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola or Mauricio Pochettino.

20:50 – The 18-year-old Hungarian forward – who plays for Fehérvár – has beaten Lionel Messi to the award. What a moment for him!

20:48 – And the winner is … Dániel Zsóri!

20:46 – Alright, they’re about to hand out an award! It’s gonna be the Fifa Puskás award for the Goal of the Year and here are the nominees …

20:44 – Ruud Gullit just made a joke about singing that went down like a cold cup of sick with the audience at the Teatro alla Scala. Not the best start.

20:43 – Dutch legend Ruud Gullit is now on stage with fellow host Ilaria D’Amico. We’re finally getting going.

20:41 – Is it just us or is The Best Fifa Football Awards about the least-catchy title for this thing they could have come up with?

20:40 – They’re opening the show with some ballet. Now this is what we came to see!

20:32 – The ceremony should be getting under way soon but in the meantime, here’s a lovely Messi family photo …

20:30 – Fifa Puskás Award (best goal)

20:29 – The Best Fifa Women’s Goalkeeper

20:28 – The Best Fifa Men’s Goalkeeper

20:28 – The Best Fifa Women’s Coach

20:28 – The Best Fifa Men’s Coach

20:28 – The Best Fifa Women’s Player

20:28 – The Best Fifa Men’s Player

20:27 – Before we get stuck in, how about a little reminder of the nominees for the nine awards they’re going to be handing out tonight?

20:26 – The ceremony is officially scheduled to begin in Milan in just a few minutes and we’ve had our tuxedos dry cleaned especially for the occasion.

20:25 – Hello, good evening and welcome to our live coverage of the 2019 Fifa The Best Awards !