Ballon d'Or absentees: What did Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar do instead?

Some people don't consider the Ballon d'Or a big deal, but Sid Lowe explains why Luka Modric winning the prize will resonate in Spain. DJ Martin Solveig made an apology on Twitter apology for asking Women's Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg to twerk whilst she accepted her award at the ceremony. Real Madrid's Luka Modric insists that although Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are exceptional talents, his Ballon d'Or win was for those players like Xavi who missed out because of their domination of the trophy. Real Madrid star Luka Modric has won the 2018 Ballon d'Or, with Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg becoming the first female winner and PSG's Kylian Mbappe claiming the inaugural Kopa Trophy for best under-21 player. Antoine Griezmann was disappointed to finish third in Ballon d'Or voting but insists Luka Modric 'earned' the trophy. For the first time in a decade, the Ballon d'Or was not won by either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, the twin giants of the modern footballing epoch. While Ronaldo finished runner-up, Messi was not even included in the final three for the first time since 2006 and neither player -- nor fellow global icon Neymar -- was in attendance in Paris to see Luka Modric being bestowed with the prestigious award at the ever-gaudy gala evening. But what were they up to instead? Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo made their own plans during the 2018 Ballon d'Or ceremony. Lionel Messi Roughly...