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As the year comes to an end, the time for individual awards comes to a conclusion. Although the 'FIFA Best' and UEFA awards already took place, the world still waits for Ballon d'Or- an award presented by France Football. The agreement between FIFA and France football is no more and thus, the winner will be chosen by a poll like it was used to be before 2010.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won the Ballon d'Or most times- 5 times each. But despite their best efforts, the winner of Ballon d'Or this year will be an extremely tough choice than it has been in the past decade.
The Ballon d'Or awards were shared by two individuals in the last 10 years- Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But since the World Cup took place this year, it will have it's own pull and impact on the award. There is no doubt that it is one of the most coveted individual awards a player can dream of winning.
The Ballon d'Or rarely goes to a defender- there are only three defenders who have won it since it's inception in 1956. The list includes legends like Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer and Fabio Cannavaro.
No doubt, there will be strong competition for the award but the world cup winning defender, Raphael Varane, certainly makes a strong case for the award due to his majestic performances. Let us take a look at three reasons why he should win the Ballon d'Or.
#1 Consistency
The Ballon d'Or 30 men shortlist includes greats like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric among many others but no one can deny the fact that Raphael Varane was top notch throughout the year.
Raphael Varane is a great defender but he really stepped it up on the biggest occasions for his club and country. His consistency in defense helped Real Madrid win their third consecutive UEFA Champions League this year and helped France win the World Cup. He stood like a wall at times, stopping any player who tried to break through.
While Real Madrid faced teams like Juventus, Liverpool, PSG and Bayern in the knockout stages of UEFA Champions League, they conceded less than 10 goals thanks to Raphael Varane.
On the other hand, France led by mercurial Varane conceded only six goals in the World Cup, keeping clean sheets in four matches. The award is usually reserved for a top quality attacker but will be a perfect recognition for a defender's valuable contribution to his team.
Luka Modric, voted the best player by both FIFA and UEFA, had a dip in form but Varane maintained his consistency on the pitch which gives him the edge over 29 other men in the shortlist.
#2 Best among the World Cup champions
While France had a plethora of stars comprising of the likes of Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and Griezmann, the standout player of their team was Raphael Varane. He was superb defensively and led the French team from the front.
Since the end of World Cup, legends like Platini, Laurent Blanc and the president of the French Federation, Noe Le Grael believe that Varane did enough and more than the possible competitors to win the Ballon d'Or. Undoubtedly, Raphael Varane sums up the team spirit of the World Champions more than any other star in the squad.
Being deployed beside someone as vulnerable as Sergio Ramos for his club, Varane maintains a cool and calm composure to match his abilities on the pitch. His skills helped Real Madrid a lot on their course to a 3rd successive UEFA Champions League.
There is no doubt that Raphael Varane ended the season with the best track record among the rest of French stars or his competitors which includes the likes Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Luka Modric.
#3 Perfect recognition for a defender
Defending- like goalkeeping, is a thankless job. It gets less attention and lesser rewards as a match-saving block is often deemed insignificant as compared to a match-winning goal by the viewers. But it is time we recognize the contribution of defenders like Raphael Varane who give their blood and sweat for their respective teams whilst expecting less.
Raphael Varane had almost a similar season like that of Fabio Cannavaro's legendary season in 2006 when he won the Ballon d' Or. He was the last defender to win the Ballon d'Or being the Italian captain in their World Cup winning campaign.
A consistent and excellent performer like Varane has one more feather to his cap- the UEFA Champions League with his club, unlike the rest of the men running for the Ballon d'Or. Although trophies are not a perfect instrument to measure an individual's contribution in a team game, Varane had immense contribution and impact throughout the season.
It may break the hearts of numerous fans to not see either of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award but considering Raphael Varane's season, he is the perfect player to break the monopoly.
