Cristiano Ronaldo was nowhere in sight as Luka Modric collected FIFA's 'The Best' award this week.

The Juventus star sparked controversy by deciding to sky the ceremony in London despite being nominated for the main prize, FIFA Puskas Award and the FIFPro World XI.

That being said, Ronaldo only collected silverware in the final category, having lost out to Modric in the main event and Mohamed Salah bizarrely being heralded for the goal of the year.

Spanish publication Marca explained his truancy by citing Juventus' busy fixture schedule which saw them playing on Sunday night and quickly once again on the Wednesday.

Barcelona had a similar problem which may explain the absence of rival Lionel Messi but the Real Madrid players still showed up in spite of their own Wednesday game.

Ronaldo missed 'The Best' ceremony

His attendance aside, though, and Ronaldo will be left frustrated with second place having won the first two awardings of FIFA's rebranded 'The Best.'

It will no doubt inspire him to bounce back next year to try and see out Messi before he retires, with the pair currently drawn on five Ballon d'Or titles apiece.

So, football fans can fully expect Ronaldo to show defence in the face of the snub and the Portuguese is finally settling in at Juventus with three goals in his last two Serie A showings.

Cristiano Ronaldo museum's post

Even if the man himself isn't defiant, however, some of his close associates certainly have been and that extends to his personal museum in his hometown of Funchal.

The Museu CR7 is a popular tourist attraction in Madeira and hosts some of Ronaldo's proudest accolades from across his career.

That considered, they took to Instagram after Modric took home the 'The Best' award and delivered a superb post in defence of their hero.

The caption simply read: 'these trophies cannot be robbed, there is an alarm.'

Check out the post below:

Whoever's in charge of their social media page needs a raise.

It doesn't make good reading for his former Real Madrid teammate Modric, though, with it being rather harsh to suggest his victory in London was something of a robbery.

There is certainly a case for Ronaldo winning the award after his Champions League run and formidable statistics, but Modric did seem to have the edge in 2018.

However, that doesn't take away from the seeming infinite achievements of Ronaldo's career already with many of them on show at the museum.

Victory for Modric simply means that the Ronaldo vs Messi debate will drag on for a little longer and seeing who will come out on top will become increasingly suspenseful.

As far as the museum is concerned, though, they won't be wanting any robberies on their premises or on the Ballon d'Or stage later this year.

Do you think Modric deserved to win the award? Have your say in the comments section below.