Ernesto Valverde Says Football Becoming 'Like Show Business' After FIFA Awards

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said football is "becoming more like show business" after Real Madrid star Luka Modric was crowned The Best FIFA Men's Player for 2018 in London on Monday.

New Juventus signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Barca talisman Lionel Messi both missed the awards ceremony, the likes of which Valverde clearly isn't a fan, judging by quotes he gave in a Tuesday press conference. He spoke of the vapid nature of awards shows and the hand it plays in running the news cycle:

"Now everything is magnified. There are so many awards, so many ceremonies and every ceremony is an ego-trip for the organiser. They gather together lots of stars from the world of football and it sells. The fact there's so much written about it then means there is more noise, more controversy and controversy makes everyone listen.

"People are interested, we can't deny it. There's too much noise now but it is where we have ended up. This is supposed to be a sport. But all the time it is becoming more like show business."

However, AFP's Tom Allnutt couldn't help but notice some irony as Valverde continued, adding that he saw Messi as a more deserved recipient of The Best award:

Valverde's comments were also likely in part referencing the extension of the football awards season, which occurred when FIFA divided from Ballon d'Or in 2016 to launch their own celebration of the year's best.

The Ballon d'Or will announce its Player of the Year equivalent in December.

There, Modric will hope to capitalise once again upon his terrific year, in which he led Croatia to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals and won a third consecutive UEFA Champions League:

There's no doubting the transformation football and footballers have undergone over the past couple of decades. Players are no longer just athletes.

It also seems no coincidence Valverde's comments come after Barca lost their Liga lead following a draw at home to Girona on Sunday. The Blaugrana dropped points for the first time this season, and their coach would undoubtedly rather do without distractions such as awards ceremonies for what's effectively the previous campaign.

One can see where Valverde is coming from. Much effort and preparation goes into a ceremony, which will inevitably fail to please everyone and is, at its core, a glorified popularity contest.

Sportswriter Andrew Gaffney recently emphasised as much:

Messi and Ronaldo may come to reap the rewards of abstaining from Monday's ceremony in London, with the latter in particular undergoing a slow start to life in Turin.

The beautiful game also happens to be the biggest, most lucrative sport in the world, and unfortunately for Valverde, distractions such as FIFA's The Best awards are only likely to become more common.