'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 30-man shortlist for the 2018 Ballon d’Or was announced on Monday. As expected, five-time winners, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi made it to the list. Also, players like Harry Kane, Luka Modric, Eden Hazard, and Kylian Mbappe got themselves into the final 30.
The shortlist list is dominated by players from the 2018 World Cup winning France squad and European Champions, Real Madrid. There were some surprise exclusions in the form of Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti, United’s David De Gea, Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski, Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk, and Inter’s Ivan Perisic.
Also, there were quite a few surprising inclusions with the likes of Karim Benzema, Luis Suarez, and Thibaut Courtois. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Paris, France on 3rd December 2018.
On that note, let’s take a look at the 5 leading contenders to win the 2018 Ballon d'Or Award.
#5 Raphael Varane
Varane is one of the very few players in the world to win both the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup in the same year. Raphael Varane was phenomenal for Real Madrid in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League and played a stellar role in their title win. He was solid at the back and formed a great partnership with Sergio Ramos.
Varane’s value has skyrocketed after his stunning exploits at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The Real Madrid star was exceptional for France in the tournament and played a crucial role in their title success. He made seven appearances in the tournament and was one of their best players. Though Ballon d’Or’s history favours attacking players, Varane has every chance to make it to the top five.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo
The former Real Madrid star and the winner of 2017 Ballon d’Or award is one of the top contenders for the 2018 Ballon d’Or award. In 26 La Liga appearances last season, the Portuguese international has scored 26 goals and created five more. He was absolutely ruthless in the UEFA Champions League.
In 13 appearances in the European competition, Ronaldo has scored 15 goals and created three more. He finished as the top goal scorer in the tournament and led Real Madrid to their third consecutive European silverware. He also scored four goals in four appearances at the 2018 World Cup but was not able to take his team past the round of 16. Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards in his illustrious career.
#3 Kylian Mbappe
With any doubt, Kylian Mbappe is the latest sensation in world football at the moment. He became the second most expensive player in the world when he made his move to Paris Saint-Germain during the summer of 2017. He was brilliant for PSG last season with 13 goals and eight assists in 24 Ligue 1 starts. He also scored four goals in the Champions League.
At the age of 19, Kylian Mbappe was sensational for France in the 2018 World Cup. Mbappe played a crucial role for Didier Deschamps in the 2018 World Cup and finished the tournament with four goals in 7 appearances. He was one of the star performers for France and played some sublime football throughout the tournament.
#2 Lionel Messi
This list is incomplete without his name on it. After Neymar’s departure and Luis Suarez’s dip in form, Lionel Messi single-handedly carried Barcelona on his shoulders. The Argentine international was phenomenal for Barcelona in La Liga last season with 34 goals and 12 assists in just 32 league starts. He finished as the top scorer in La Liga and won the Pichichi award for the fifth time in his career.
Barcelona lost just one game throughout the 2017/18 La Liga campaign and Messi was at the core of it. Adding the six Champions League goals last season and six in seven La Liga starts this season, Messi is arguably the most prolific goal scorer in the world right now. However, the five-time Ballon winner endured a poor World Cup campaign. He finished with just one goal in four appearances in the tournament.
#1 Luka Modric
Will he be the man to finally break Messi and Ronaldo duopoly in Ballon d’Or? We all will know the answer only on December 3rd. It needed a remarkable season for the 33-year-old to beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the 2018 FIFA Best Men’s Player Award. Luka Modric was sensational for Real Madrid in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League. Though he hasn’t scored a lot of goals or created them either, he orchestrated Real Madrid’s midfield and was the engine room behind their stunning display.
He did not stop with that. With two goals and an assist, Modric was unstoppable for Croatia in the 2018 World Cup. He led Croatia to the finals of the tournament and even won the Golden Ball for his stunning exploits in Russia. No player other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award in the past 10 years, and Luka Modric could be the one to stop them and create history.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
