#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.