Best FIFA Awards 2018: Luka Modric wins best player as Salah wins Puskas goal award

The Best FIFA Awards 2018 has arrived in London with a glittering ceremony and numerous awards to celebrate the very best in the game.

After Real Madrid’s Champions League glory over Liverpool in the final, there was the World Cup, with France edging out Croatia in the final in Russia.

Luka Modric beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah to the top prize.

“It is a great honour and a beautiful feeling to stand here with this amazing trophy. First of all, I would like to congratulate Mohamed and Cristiano.

“I am sure in the future you will have another opportunity to fight for this trophy.

“This award is not just mine. It is my teammates from Real Madrid and Croatia. Without my coaches, I would not have won this. Without my family, I would not be the player I am today.

“Thanks to my fans for all the great support and love they are showing me. It means a lot. Thanks to those who voted for me.

Didier Deschamps, Marta and Luka Modric pose with their awards (Image: Getty Images)

The Croatian delivers his speech (Image: AFP)

“I would just like to mention my footballing idol and former 1998 Croatia captain. He was my big inspiration and that team gave us believe we could create something in Russia.

“This award shows that we can all become the best with hard work and dedication. All your dreams can come true.”

There was some consolation for Salah, who had earlier picked up the Puskas Award for the season’s best goal, his stunning strike in the Merseyside derby at Anfield when Gareth Bale’s superb Champions League final volley had been widely tipped to win it.

The ceremony in London (Image: FIFA/Getty Images)

France’s World Cup-winning boss Didier Deschamps claimed the coach of the year title ahead of Croatia’s Zlatko Dalic and Zinedine Zidane, formerly of Real.

Deschamps said: “We all know that being a coach, alone we can’t do anything, We are nothing without our players and I want to thank my whole team who worked to get me here and get me this trophy tonight.”

Brazil’s Marta collected her sixth women’s player of the year award, but her first since 2010 after finishing as runner-up on three occasions during the intervening years, while former Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois was named goalkeeper of the year.

Here are the winners of all the awards from London: