Ballon d’Or 2018: The best starting XI from the shortlisted 30 players

Left Back: Marcelo

The selection of the Brazilian left back is easy, as he is the only genuine left back among the shortlisted 30! Wales speedster Gareth Bale did start out at this position, however, it is highly unlikely that he could be persuaded to return to his root right now! But even with competition, it is hard to find a better left back in the world right now, because Marcelo is immensely talented and fiercely competitive.

The Brazilian won the Champions League with Real Madrid last year and then had a disappointing World Cup with Brazil, however, Marcelo’s consistency over the years is commendable. It is something that makes him one of the best left-backs in the world and he starts in our Ballon d’Or XI this year at his native position.

Right Back: Sergio Ramos

There are two reasons why the Spaniard is selected at right back. First, surprisingly, there are no right backs among the shortlisted 30 and Ramos has played at right back at his younger age and could still do a fine job in that position. Second, he will be handy to change tactics and switch to a back 3 in case the team needs a shift in tactics and Marcelo is thrown up wide.

Sergio Ramos is one of the finest defenders around but does have his disciplinary problems. He has had quite a successful 2017/18 season, where he lifted the Club World Cup and the Champions League trophy. As such, Ramos deserves a place in this team, as much for his versatility as for his defensive qualities.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Sagnik Mallick