Cristiano no shows UEFA draw as Modric is named Player of the Year
The Portuguese star won the 'Best Forward' award but perhaps his absence was down to the fact he knew he wasn't going to win the main award of the evening
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't attend UEFA's Champions League draw in Monte Carlo. Alongside the draw for Europe's premier competition, there were also awards for the best players last season and Cristiano was in the running for the 'Best Forward' and 'Player of the Year' categories.
The Portuguese player, now at Juventus, decided not to attend the event and was the only person who failed to collect his award in person. Cristiano won the 'Best Forward' award. However, maybe the reason behind his absence was the fact he wasn't expected to win the most important award of the evening: the 'Player of the Year'. In the end the prize went to his former teammate, Luka Modric, who beat Liverpool's Mohamed Salah to claim the accolade for the first time in his career.
Cristiano, Modric and Salah were the three finalists selected by a group made up of 80 coaches from clubs which participated in the UEFA Champions League group stage last season (32), the UEFA Europa League (48) alongside 55 journalists chosen by the European Sports Group (ESM) which represent each member of the UEFA's associations.
