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#1 Karim Benzema
How the French Striker made it to the shortlisted 30 can only be explained by people who made the list. Benzema was extremely poor last season, scoring just 12 games in all competitions. He did win the UEFA Champions League, scoring 5 goals in the tournament. Yet his overall performance was so substandard – he scored just 5 goals in 32 games in La Liga – that he was not picked for the France National Team that went to Russia and won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
This season though, Benzema has been better so far. He has already scored 5 goals from 11 games, in a bid to revive himself. But does that warrant a place among the 30 best football players in the World? You be the judge.
Player who missed out: Philippe Coutinho
The Brazilian was fabulous last season, though he played the first half for Liverpool before switching to Barcelona in the winter. Coutinho scored 22 goals in all competitions and picked up 14 assists, he also won the La Liga and the Copa del Rey with Barcelona. At the World Cup, he was Brazil’s creator in chief and also scored 2 goals. Coutinho certainly deserves to be in the 30 man shortlist for the 2018 Ballon d’Or and it is a shame that he has missed out.
