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Ballon d'Or is a prestigious annual award in Football presented by France Football since 1956. However, from 2010 to 2015, the award was merged with FIFA World Player of the Year. The jury for voting the best player consists of international journalists and captains as well as the coaches of the national teams. Presently, Ronaldo and Messi jointly hold the record for winning the award five times each.
Thirty players have been shortlisted for this award which includes some of the very best players in the world right now. It also contains a few names which may seem surprising to many and hence, this year it may be an extremely unpredictable battle for the prestigious trophy.
Here are the 10 prime candidates who can win the Ballon d'Or this year.
#10 Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois is one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the moment. His reflexes and communication skills with his defenders are second to none. Courtois is also extremely good in one-on-one situations.
He was one of the key players who helped Belgium finish in the 3rd place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His goalkeeping performance particularly against Brazil in the quarter-finals was truly inspiring. Hence, he rightfully got the Golden Glove award for his wonderful displays at the World Cup.
In spite of Chelsea having a poor last season, Courtois was one of the top performers for them. This makes Courtois a good candidate for the Ballon d'Or. However, there are others who might prove more than a handful for him.
#9 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is one of the most talented emerging stars in Europe and has caught the attention of elite clubs in Europe due to his excellent displays on the pitch for both PSG and France respectively. In all probabilities, in the future, he will be one of the best in the world.
Mbappe's performance for France in the 2018 FIFA World Cup was mesmerizing for the football fans all around the world. His scintillating pace, dribbles and goal-scoring acumen amazed even his opponents. His presence on the pitch was a headache for top defences throughout the World Cup.
His pairing with Cavani and Neymar at PSG certainly makes their attack one of the most formidable ones in the world. It remains to be seen whether his performance at the World Cup and his club enough to win him the prized trophy.
#8 N'Golo Kante
N'Golo Kante is undoubtedly among the best defensive midfielders in the world currently. It almost seems that he has endless stamina by how easily he covers most parts of the pitch. His trait is to intercept the ball from the opposition and create a counter-attack for his team. Kante also likes to join the attack and is not afraid to shoot from a distance.
Kante's performances were one of the prime reasons for France's victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He made a record 20 interceptions at the tournament and hence was the shield which protected the French defence from opposition's attacks.
Hence, Kante deserves to be one of the top contenders to lift the Ballon d'Or Award.
#7 Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos is perhaps the best central defender in the game at the moment. He is a strong tackler who likes to give his all for the team. Ramos also has the ability to score headers from set-pieces for Real Madrid in crucial circumstances. He is a strong leader who likes to lead his team from the front.
Ramos was one of the key figures in Real Madrid's 3 successive Champions League victories. Due to his presence at the back, Real Madrid's defence is quite formidable. However, a shoddy World Cup campaign might harm his chances to win this year's Ballon d'Or Award.
#6 Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann is one of the top strikers in the La Liga at the moment. He is a goal machine for both Atletico Madrid as well as France. Coupled with his traits of a poacher, Griezmann also has the ability to take on the opposition defence with his pace and dribbling ability.
Griezmann was also the top goalscorer for France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His attacking partnership with Giroud was key to France's 2nd World Cup victory. Hence, he is one of the top players in Europe and is one of the top sought out players in each and every transfer market.
A successful World Cup campaign might do the trick for him at this year's Ballon d'Or Awards.
#5 Mohamed Salah
Mo Salah in 2017/18 with Liverpool had the best season in his career. His terrifying pace has certainly frightened top defences in the Premier League. Salah is a goal machine for Liverpool and won the Premier League Golden Boot last season scoring 30 goals.
He also led Liverpool to the Champions League final last season. An unfortunate injury in the final at the hands of Sergio Ramos denied Salah the opportunity to complete that match and also to play at the World Cup at his best.
Salah did play at the World Cup but was only a shadow of the man that we had seen the entire season. Hence, from the above stats, it is clear that Salah is one of the leading candidates to win this prestigious trophy.
#4 Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard has established himself as one of the best in the business. His performances for both Chelsea and Belgium have been top class. His pace, dribbles and cool finishing are quite fascinating to watch. He is in top form at the moment for Chelsea and is destroying world-class defences in Europe quite easily.
Being the captain of Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Hazard led his team from the front and was their best player in the tournament. His display particularly against Brazil in the quarter-finals was spectacular and tried his best against France at the semi-finals.
Hence, Hazard is one of the most deserving candidates for the Ballon d'Or this year.
#3 Lionel Messi
Messi is debatably the best player in the world at the moment. His dribbles and style of play are quite unique. He is a goal scoring machine and has been doing this in the last several seasons for Barcelona. Many pundits have also predicted that there might never be a player like Messi in the future.
Despite Barcelona performing badly in the Champions League last season, Messi helped them in remaining unbeaten for the most part of La Liga. He helped Barcelona win the league and finished the season as the league's top scorer with 34 goals.
However, the story of the World Cup was nothing different for Messi. After yet another disappointment, it remains to be seen whether his club performance alone can propel him to a sixth Ballon d'Or.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo had an excellent last season for Real Madrid. He scored some wonderful goals and was the main player responsible for helping Real Madrid win the Champions League title 3 consecutive times. He is also the all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League with 120 goals.
Having stayed at the Bernabeu for nearly 10 years, Ronaldo moved to Juventus in the recently concluded transfer window. He is probably looking to replicate the success he got at Real Madrid in the current season at Juventus. However, he doesn't seem to have found his footing yet.
Cristiano Ronaldo is certainly one of the key contenders for the Ballon d'Or and he would be looking forward to winning the prize for the 6th time in his career.
#1 Luka Modric
Luka Modric is perhaps the hottest property in Europe at the moment. His performance for both Real Madrid and Croatia last season has indicated that he is playing at his level best and has the hunger to win every trophy he is involved in.
Being the captain of Croatia, he led his team into the finals of the World Cup which was considered highly improbable by many pundits before the start of the tournament. For his superb displays at the World Cup, Modric was awarded the Golden Ball. This was followed by winning UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award 2017-18 and The Best FIFA Men's player 2018.
Though he may not have as many statistics to show for his contribution to the game, he is surely the man behind the curtain that makes the magic happen up front. Hence, Luka Modric is probably the preferred player to win the 2018 Ballon d'Or Award.
