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What's the story?
Amidst all the speculation in regards to the Ballon d'Or top three, reports have now surfaced that the name of this year's winner has been leaked.
In case you didn't know...
Since France Football released their thirty-man shortlist for this year's Ballon d'Or, speculation surrounding the winner has been rife among fans, players and experts.
Recently, reports of the absence of five-time winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from the top three have also been doing the rounds.
Further, a journalist for RFI, Eric Mamruth, added fuel to the fire by claiming that the top three spots have been filled by Luka Modric, Raphael Varane and Kylian Mbappe.
The Ballon d'Or shortlist includes Sergio Aguero, Alisson Becker, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Edinson Cavani, Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Roberto Firmino, Diego Godin, Antoine Griezmann, Eden Hazard, Isco, Harry Kane, N’Golo Kante, Hugo Lloris, Mario Mandzukic, Sadio Mane, Marcelo, Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Neymar, Paul Pogba, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Ramos, Mohamed Salah, Luis Suarez, Jan Oblak Raphael Varane, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The heart of the matter
Reports (via Fox Sports) have now emerged that the winner of the coveted award has been leaked.
According to Cuatro, Real Madrid and Croatia star, Luka Modric, will walk away with the gong this December.
Modric has been considered to be a top favourite for the award for months.
His exploits in Russia, leading his national side to their first World Cup final and his role in Real Madrid's Champions League winning team last campaign has already won him the FIFA Men's Player of the Year award earlier this year.
Several players and experts have backed the 33-year-old as the eventual winner but this remains to be seen.
What's next?
Several claims surrounding the potential winner of the award have made the headlines recently and rumours like this should be taken with a pinch of salt.
The answers to everyone's Ballon d'Or questions will only be officially answered during the ceremony on December 3.
