'%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)
Earlier yesterday, France Football announced a 30-man shortlist for the forthcoming Ballon d'Or, a catalogue that includes Lionel Messi, Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo.
It's also safe to say that the above names happen to be the front-runners for the most coveted individual award in football. While there are no fewer than seven players from the UEFA Champions League-winning Liverpool squad, trophyless Real Madrid have just two of their players in Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard included in the shortlist.
The Premier League dominates this list, with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Bernardo Silva, Hugo Lloris and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among the others drafted in.
Like every single year, there are a host of conspicuous talents and performers who have been overlooked despite enjoying successful seasons. Most significant of those snubs includes the holder himself, Luka Modric. The world's most expensive player, Neymar, failed to make the cut as well.
On that note, we list five players who perhaps, deserved to be in the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist ahead of the announcements in December.
#5 N'Golo Kante
N'Golo Kante, as many say, owns two and not one pair of lungs. He's one of the most unique footballers to have graced the European stage in recent times.
Last season, he was moved to the right side of a three-man midfield in a more advanced role than what many assume is his best playing position. Arguably too, Chelsea didn't quite receive what they could have from the player who is probably at his best when deployed in the heart of midfield.
Even then, Kante enjoyed his best goal-scoring season, netting five goals, more than he had for Leicester City and Chelsea, previously, combined. The Frenchman is the epitome of vibrance, energy, sharpness and intelligence.
His adaptability, versatility and driving ability with the ball deserved more credit. His contributions to a third-place finish for the Blues, alongside a runners-up medal in the Carabao Cup and a UEFA Europa League crown should have been given more prominence.
#4 Luka Modric
Having made the headlines for all the right reasons last term, Luka Modric has been snubbed for the same award that broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly one year ago.
That unfortunately, makes him the first player in history to not be in the shortlist after having lifted the Ballon d'Or the previous year. He won the UEFA Champions League, and was easily the best player of the match in the final against Liverpool.
The Croat even wrote his own fairytale by guiding his national side to the finals of the FIFA World Cup, where they eventually fell to Didier Deschamps' France. Modric finished the tournament with the Golden Ball.
Real Madrid's defensive frailties and age caught up with him last season. However, Modric still amassed a healthy 34 league appearances, scoring three goals and assisting further six throughout the campaign.
While these numbers don't stack up to his or Los Blancos' lofty expectations, the current holder should have received a mention if not more.
#3 Hakim Ziyech
Former teammates Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong have made it to the honourable shortlist. As have current teammates Donny van de Beek and Dusan Tadic. Hakim Ziyech, however, for all his marauding runs down the wings, trickery on the ball, shots on goal, blistering bursts of speed and all-round displays, has been acrimoniously left out.
A lynchpin in the celebrated Ajax side of the 2018-19 season that impressed one and all, Ziyech proved to be a key supplier and goalscorer himself. On a repeated and consistent basis.
He returned with five goals in the UEFA Champions League and contributed with 16 more in the domestic league. Not to mention, the wily winger also recorded an incredible 13 assists.
More than just the numbers, Ziyech's guile and application separates him from the rest. He's got everything a conventional winger should possess and his ability to thread quick passes, fabricate interplay and take brave decisions alone should have merited him a place in the 30-man shortlist.
The 26-year-old is a real thinker, a student of the game; and for sure, he has it in himself to repeat last season's heroics this time around as well.
#2 Harry Kane
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah - all of who have been muscled into the shortlist, shared the Premier League Golden Boot accolade for smashing 22 goals a piece last season.
Kane netted 17 in 28 appearances, having seen his campaign curtailed by injury for a significant amount of time. He ended the season with 24 goals in all competitions, guiding Spurs to a place in the UEFA Champions League finals as well, against all the odds.
Kane is far from a striker who can run off your back, or beat you for pace. However, the England striker has got a tenacious ability of finding the back of the net and occupying key positions. He scores in big games, he scores big goals and he isn't afraid to let them fly from rather peculiar angles and distances.
Kane holds everything in his locker and knows exactly how to apply himself in various situations and against oppositions of different calibre. He's a street-smart footballer, who could have been with a shout for a spot in the Ballon d'Or shortlist.
#1 Aymeric Laporte
Week in, week out, Aymeric Laporte chipped in with world-class performances for Manchester City as they romped to a second consecutive Premier League title with 98 points in thier kitty. Pep Guardiola rotated Vincent Kompany, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi but Laporte remained a constant presence in his back line.
Defenders such as van Dijk and Laporte are more than just the tackles and blocks. Their world-class stature goes beyond those rubrics. They are inspirational presences with the capability of marshaling a back-line and getting into the right places at the right time.
Laporte knows when to track back, when to lunge and when to stretch off his lines. His focus on detail and perfection is a stand-out commodity in any modern day centre-back.
Virgil van Dijk changed the face of the Liverpool defense and played a massive part in their run to the UEFA Champions League title. Well, Laporte had more tackles per game than the Dutchman - 1.2 to 1, as many interceptions on average and a much better pass completion success rate - 92.3 to 89.7.
The Frenchman lifted the Carabao Cup as well as the Premier League trophy, which was decided by one of the closest title races in recnt history. The fact that despite such a performance, he has not found a way into the shortlist beggars belief.
