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The phenomenal duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the Ballon d'Or scene for the past decade.
Both of them have five accolades each and will be looking forward to getting an edge from one another by earning this year's award too. However, unlike previous years, this is no longer a two-horse race and there are many other names that emerged to win the prestigious award.
Right on this note, here is the list of three players who can stop Ronaldo-Messi from winning Ballon d'Or this year.
#3 Kylian Mbappe
It is hard to believe that Kylian Mbappe is just 19 years of age as the French international has already achieved great heights at this young age and is considered to be one of the biggest talents in football.
The 'Golden Boy' of 2017, Kylian Mbappe enjoyed a successful 2017-2018 season with Paris St. Germain and helped his team win the domestic treble. He scored 21 goals in all competitions last season and assisted 15 for his teammates. He won the UNFP Young Players of the Season 2017-18 award and was also the part of UNFP Team of the Year 2017-2018.
Kylian Mbappe was among the best players at the FIFA World Cup 2018 and helped France win the World Cup for the first since 1998. He scored four goals during the tournament and was awarded the FIFA World Cup 2018 Best Young Player Award.
The 19-year-old finished seventh in the Ballon d'Or 2017 but is a serious contender to win the accolade this season. According to Eric Mamruth (via FoxSports), a journalist for RFI, Kylian Mbaooe received the third most number of votes after counting halfway for the award.
#2 Rafael Varane
Rafael Varane is one of the best defenders in the world right now and could be the first defender since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 to win the Ballon d'Or award.
The 25-year-old centre-back was exceptional for Real Madrid during the 2017-2018 season and was a force behind Real Madrid's third successive Champions League triumph. He also won the UEFA Super Cup and Supercopa de Espana with Real Madrid during the 2017-2018 season.
The former Lens defender was also an important player for France during the FIFA World Cup 2018 and his performances got himself a place in the FIFA World Cup 2018 Dream Team.
According to Eric Mamruth (via FoxSports), a journalist for RFI, Rafael Varane received the second-most number of votes after halfway of counting the votes for the award.
#1 Luka Modric
Luka Modric is one the finest midfielders of his generation and is among the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or this season.
The 33-year had a great 2017-18 season with Real Madrid and helped the Los Blancos win their third successive Champions League trophy. He scored two goals in all competitions last season and assisted eight for his teammates.
Luka Modic also surprisingly led Croatia to the finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018 and was awarded the FIFA World Cup 2018 Golden Ball. He won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year 2017–18 accolade along with the FIFA Men's Best Player award.
The Croatian international was included in the FIFPro World XI on four occasions, however, he is up for the big award this term. According to Eric Mamruth (via FoxSports), a journalist for RFI, Luka Modric received the most number of votes after halfway of counting the votes for the award.
