Certain calculations made thus far seem to suggest that both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been beaten to the 2018 Ballon D’Or by Croatian star Luka Modric. The current Ballon D’Or holder, Cristiano Ronaldo, who also is the record holder for winning the Golden Ball most number of times (5) together with Lionel Messi, is reportedly set to lose out on the most prestigious individual football award this time as Luka Modric’s name seems to have emerged on top at the half-way mark in the voting. Last time a player other than Messi or Ronaldo lifted the Ballon D’Or was way back in 2007, when AC Milan midfielder Kaka was named the best player in the world.
Eric Macruth, a French journalist working for the French radio station RFI claims that the Real Madrid midfielder Modric will lift the Golden ball after having already received the European Player of the Year and FIFA The Best awards earlier this year. While both Messi and Ronaldo have enjoyed stellar campaigns with their respective clubs so far, Modric has struggled to continue his rich vein of form in Real Madrid, the likes of which saw him take Croatia to the Finals of the FIF World Cup 2018. Whether that has any impact on the votings of the Ballon D’Or or not needs to be seen. According to Macruth’s tweet, the top 3 players in reckoning at the halfway stage of the count are Luka Modric, Raphael Varane, and Kilian Mbappe.
